The Provincial Antigen Screening Program allows employers in priority settings to add an additional safety measure in high-risk and essential workplaces, to help reduce the spread of COVID‑19. The local public health unit will advise when the use of rapid antigen testing is recommended.

A rapid antigen test can be performed anywhere (that is, on-site, at the place of employment) by a health professional. Workers may be given the option to do self-swabbing with rapid test kits provided by their employer. It takes approximately 15 minutes to yield results.

For employers participating in the program, the provincial government will provide free rapid antigen test kits. Employers will have significant flexibility in the implementation of rapid antigen testing within their respective workplaces, so long as they adhere to the terms of the Provincial Antigen Screening Program agreement, including compliance with applicable provincial guidance. Participating employers are required to enter a small set of data on a weekly basis into a centralized reporting database. To learn more about considerations for Antigen Point-Of-Care Testing, click here.

Agri-food employers who wish to participate in the Provincial Antigen Screening Program can contact the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at omafra.labour@ontario.ca.

Learn about considerations on rapid antigen screening.