Ministers hope office screening for coronavirus might get more people back at their desks 

Routine coronavirus testing could be introduced in offices and factories as part of a new Government drive to get more people back to work.

Ministers are talking to businesses about the widescale use of testing in the workplace in order to boost confidence among returning staff.

The scheme could also help the Government’s test and trace regime identify potential virus outbreaks more quickly, making it easier to nip them in the bud.

Firms have been told they could be exempt from future local lockdowns if routine testing shows their workplaces remain virus-free. 

The plans come amid mounting evidence that the working-from-home culture is causing devastation on the High Street. 

A survey by the Confederation of British Industry yesterday found retail employment fell at the fastest rate for more than a decade in the year to August – down by 45 per cent. 

Big names announcing major redundancies have included Marks and Spencer, Boots, Debenhams and WH Smith.

Many town and city centre retailers fear their businesses will not recover if widespread working from home continues for months. 

International law firm Linklaters yesterday became the latest big business to tell staff they will not be expected to rush back to their desks. The firm, which employs 5,000, said staff would be allowed to work from home for up to 50 per cent of the time indefinitely. 

Partner Andrea Arosio told the Financial Times that lockdown had shown that ‘remote working has worked remarkably well’.

US banking giant JP Morgan last night said staff in its corporate and investment banking arm – including thousands in London – will alternate between home and the office.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma yesterday stressed the Government wanted to see more people back in the workplace, but it was up to firms to figure out how best to do it. He urged companies to be ‘flexible’ by allowing staff to come back part-time if a full-time return was not possible. 

He said: ‘Different organisations are coming to different arrangements and showing some flexibility. Some businesses are saying that employees should spend part of the time in the office, part of the time at home.

‘So I think that’s what we want to see – that flexibility, that co-operation between employers and employees going forward.’

The introduction of workplace testing is being pioneered by the Department of Health, which is working on increasing testing capacity to up to four million a day. 

A Whitehall source said: ‘There is lots of engagement with business at the moment. We want to get as many people tested as possible and workplace testing could be part of that. It works for business because it gives them and their staff extra confidence. And if it feeds into the test and trace system then it works for everyone.’

Ministers are also drawing up plans to test the population of an entire city as capacity increases.

Adam Marshall, of the British Chambers of Commerce, said that companies could embrace the idea – but only if the Government ensures the cost of tests are not too expensive. He insisted: ‘We are supportive of the ramp-up of testing if that helps businesses avoid blanket future lockdowns.’

A standard swab test currently costs around £100, but there are hopes this will fall.

Edwin Morgan, of the Institute of Directors, said: ‘The big question is – who pays for it? If larger companies want to do it voluntarily then great. If you’re a small company…then it’s a lot harder.’