FOR ATTENTION OF SHAPE & EJSU UK DEFENCE PERSONNEL

Fellow Brits in Mons,

As long promised, Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs) for COVID Testing have arrived at SHAPE.  MOD has approved and supplied these for us to use for routine, asymptomatic testing by MOD personnel who are required to attend their workplace.  This parallels the UK asymptomatic COVID-19 testing programme that is now available to all UK citizens through their workplaces.  The aim of the Defence programme is to:

  • Protect ourselves and our loved ones through a surveillance programme to detect symptomatic cases.
  • To protect SHAPE from infection, so as to ensure its ability to maintain its command function.
  • To protect our UK reputation, and do the right thing.

The programme is available for all UK Defence personnel.  It is voluntary.  You do not have to take part.  But please do.  By participating you help protect those around you.  We know that about 30% of infected people do show symptoms.  Participating in the programme will help limit the spread of the virus within our social and professional communities and keep us all safe.

You should test yourself twice a week, every 3 to 4 days, to fit your shift pattern.  For example, every Monday and Thursday or Wednesday and Sunday.   The kits come in boxes of seven, so a box should last you for almost a month.  Every test you take must be reported.  This is to monitor the quality of the test kits.  Instructions are at Annex B to ‘INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE USE OF LATERAL FLOW DEVICES (LFD) FOR WORKPLACE ASYMPTOMATIC COVID-19 TESTING’ (Attached).  There is an online tool developed by EJSU to simply the process.  No personal information is needed.  If your LFD test is positive you must contact the UK Medical Centre as soon as possible to arrange a PCR test.  Until this point you will need to quarantine accordingly.

Test boxes can be collected from the following locations:

  • UK NMR Registry for NATO personnel
  • For EJSU, UKBCs, DCYP, and DIO approved personnel –  EJSU QM’s Department (Clothing Stores)

I am sure you will have questions.  Please direct you questions to our experts: Flt Lt Kieran Nevin for NATO personnel and the QM’s Department for EJSU personnel.

Regards

Capt Charles Ashcroft RN

Dep UKNMR & UK SNR SHAPE
+32(0)65446260|+447717427752|
charles.ashcroft921@mod.gov.uk