Contingency measures to contain an outbreak include a range of options, Health Minister Richard Renouf said on Tuesday, similar to the ‘sliding scale’ of options that has been drawn up by the UK government.
The Channel Islands Co-operative Society is considering launching a food delivery service to Islanders who are self-isolating.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined his government’s plans yesterday, which he said were designed to slow the spread of the outbreak and delay the peak until the summer.
While Jersey remains free of confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, with 42 negative tests carried out, yesterday there had been 51 confirmed cases in the UK. France and Germany have both reported significant rises in recent days, which has prompted the introduction of extra measures at Jersey’s gateways.
Anyone arriving from France or Germany who develops symptoms that could be coronavirus, including a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, is being asked to self-isolate and contact the government helpline – 445566 – for further advice.
Staff from Ports of Jersey will be handing out leaflets to ferry and air passengers. There are no commercial flights to the Island from France at present, while direct summer routes from several German cities are not scheduled to begin until next month.
France, which as of Tuesday afternoon had reported 204 cases and three deaths so far, closed more than 120 schools in areas worst-hit, including the Oise region north of Paris.
As of Tuesday, there had been 188 cases recorded in Germany, prompting the cancellation of events such as next week’s Leipzig Book Fair, which in 2019 attracted an estimated 286,000 visitors.
Jersey’s deputy medical officer of health, Dr Ivan Muscat, said: ‘There is still no need at this stage to avoid or cancel large gatherings, and good hand hygiene is the best way to protect yourself and others from contracting this, and other, viruses.’
Deputy Renouf added: ‘Plans are in place to deal with all sorts of scenarios – this is a fast-moving situation and we can’t say specifically what will be needed at this stage.’
Jersey has experience of drawing up continuity plans to deal with previous health scares such as SARS and swine flu, the minister added.
‘If the hospital is under pressure then we might have to look at postponing non-urgent operations,’ he said. ‘There are also contingency plans for schools, although the evidence suggests that children and younger people are rarely badly affected, which may mean a greater level of concern for care homes.’
The Co-op is preparing contingency measures that would include the ability to deliver food parcels to Islanders who were self-isolating and had no other means of getting goods.
The organisation’s acting chief executive officer, Mark Cox, said: ‘We want to be able to facilitate some form of home delivery and provide for anyone needing to stay indoors – we are working on various plans to ensure food is accessible to all.
‘We know Islanders are buying more soap, hand sanitiser and personal hygiene products and we are working closely with our logistics providers and suppliers to secure as much stock as we can. We have also seen an increase in dried goods and will make sure we work closely with our supplies to keep stocks high.’
A British woman has been hospitalised in Tenerife after testing positive for coronavirus. The woman had been staying at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel, which has been locked down after several Italian guests contracted the virus. A total of six people have now tested positive from the hotel. Three Islanders who were on holiday there – Sally Batho, Sue Clement-Jones and Sheila Ruane – have been among the guests affected by the lockdown.
A range of information and advice is available on the gov.je/coronavirus webpage.
