Staff from Barrhead Travel have ben enlisted to work on the country’s Test and Protect scheme which has come under scrutiny for ‘going in the wrong direction’.
Barrhead will play a key role in the identification and tracing of people who have potentially come into contact with people who have tested positive for Covid-19. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the move in a coronavirus update.
Barrhead Travel President Jacqueline Dobson said the agency approached the government in a move to save jobs, she said: “As travel is unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels before 2021, we proactively explored other business options to help preserve as many jobs as possible.
“Our people are our most important asset at Barrhead Travel. By working in partnership with NHS Scotland to provide highly skilled personnel for national contact tracing efforts, we will be able to save many jobs and keep our people in work until the demand for travel returns.
“Travel is, of course, still our primary business and our stores are open as normal across the country to support all of our customers with their holiday plans for 2021 and beyond.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson, quoted in the Daily Record, said: “In recruiting staff to Test and Protect, Barrhead travel offered the support of call centre workers who would normally support their travel business, but who are not required at present due to the decline in the travel market.
“Training those individuals in Test and Protect, where they will work for and be under the direction of the NHS, has helped to not only support our recruitment of staff for Test and Protect, but also helped to prevent potential redundancies or unemployment.”
