Guernsey: Border control key for CI ‘travel bubble’

Guernsey: Border control key for CI ‘travel bubble’

Talks of a ‘Channel Island bubble’ have taken place between representatives of the two bailiwicks, but the idea has not been discussed by ministers.

A statement released on behalf of Guernsey’s Policy and Resources Committee – which is chaired by Guernsey Chief Minister Gavin St Pier – said: ‘We’re keeping an open mind to “bubbling” with other jurisdictions in the future, but they will need to be in a similar position to us, with similar controls over their borders.’

Guernsey, which put in stricter lockdown measures than Jersey earlier this year, has reported no new cases of coronavirus this month. To date, the island has reported 252 coronavirus cases, with 235 of those people deemed to have recovered. Guernsey has recorded 13 deaths and three presumptive deaths.

In comparison, Jersey has had 303 confirmed cases, of which 244 are deemed to have recovered. There have been 28 deaths linked to Covid-19 in the Island.

Jersey is lifting its lockdown restrictions faster than Guernsey, with all shops allowed to open from the start of this week providing social-distancing measures can be put in place.

Guernsey’s P&R Committee statement added: ‘We’ve set out our plan for exiting lockdown. It is not a timetable, but it does make clear what triggers are needed to move forward through the phases, or indeed what could send us backwards. So far our strategy of “test, trace and quarantine” is working very well.

‘We have been very clear that the opening of our borders will be one of the last stages in our phased exit from lockdown. Any decision to lift travel restrictions to a particular jurisdiction will depend on the situation there, and the risk it presents to the health and lives of islanders. This approach is being taken with the island’s economy in mind too, as the risk of new clusters of cases of Covid-19, or even a second wave, could set us back to the very first phase of lockdown, which has serious implications for all sectors.’

During a press conference on Monday, Jersey’s senior politicians raised the prospect of people being allowed to travel to and from the Island, with suggestions that passengers arriving by plane or boat may be offered Covid-19 tests on arrival, rather than automatically self-isolating for a fortnight, as the Island continues to plan a safe exit strategy.

Jersey’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr Susan Turnbull, said that those who did not wish to self-isolate for 14 days could be offered a test and would only have to stay in quarantine for 24 hours until the result was available. Those given the all-clear would be able to go out, with a follow-up test on the fourth day after their arrival to make sure they remained free of the virus.

Currently, there are just three flights in and out of the Island each week and those wishing to leave must receive authorisation to do so from Customs and Immigration.

Condor has cancelled all passenger ferries since March. However, yesterday the firm announced that it was hopeful services might resume next month (full story: Page 2).

Guernsey’s P&R Committee added that anyone travelling to the island must self-isolate by law for 14 days upon arrival, with the only exemption being for those entering as critical workers.

‘It is important we support our tourism sector as much as we can without compromising our overall response to this pandemic,’ the statement continued. ‘With that in mind, VisitGuernsey have been working on plans for a staycation campaign, encouraging islanders to holiday within the bailiwick and make use of the excellent restaurants and hotels we have here on island, as soon as that’s possible. The quicker we can reopen our economy, within the bailiwick’s borders, there’s a lot of potential for islanders to enjoy what our local tourism sector has to offer.’

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