As part of the move, hotels can open for staycations and pubs and restaurants can open indoors for meals. However, they will not be allowed to solely serve alcohol.
The easing of restrictions was announced as ministers unveiled a new ‘Safer Together’ slogan for Level 2 of the exit strategy.
Islanders can now meet outside of their homes in groups of up to 20, people in the ‘moderate-risk’ category can return to work and hairdressers, beauty salons and tattoo parlours can re-open. There are currently five known active cases of Covid-19 in the Island.
Other measures include gyms being able to welcome users back to their premises, as can sporting venues and swimming pools.
However, changing facilities will remain closed, with ministers asking Islanders to ‘play and go’, rather than changing at the Island’s leisure centres. They said this might involve some extra planning and preparation.
Museums, cinemas and galleries can now open and workplaces will be able to welcome back more members of staff.
Announcing the new measures three months after the first reported cases, Chief Minister John Le Fondré said the slow easing of restrictions was about striking a balance, but he again warned that the government was prepared to move back to stricter rules if Covid-19 cases were to rise.
He said: ‘Level 2 is about being safer together.
‘And I would ask that everyone, whether working in a business or as a member of the public, continues to follow the health guidance – meaning we can progress steadily towards Level 1 and the new normal.
‘No one wants to return to Level 4. Increasing restrictions again will impact people’s mental and physical health, their livelihoods, and our community.
‘A phased relaxation of our measures is better than a rapid return to a stricter lockdown.’
Senator Le Fondré added that Islanders should become ‘more social’, could start ‘taking part in more activities’ and could begin to look towards ‘some connectivity off Island’.
Of the five active Covid cases, one was discovered through the government’s planned workforce screening, two from patients seeking healthcare and the final two were found through contact tracing.
None were from care homes and the last care home cases were recorded around ten weeks ago.
Senator Le Fondré also confirmed the government would be ending its regular press conferences. However, he said that regular communication on key decisions would continue, as would the publication of greater detail on active cases.
Elsewhere in the press conference ministers confirmed details of the trial testing taking place at the borders, saying it would be available next week and that the borders could potentially open in early July, when the government was planning to move towards phase one.
The authorities are also looking at reducing the two-metre social-distancing rule, according to Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham.
He said: ‘Looking forward, the target for the move to Level 1 is currently early July, subject,
of course, to careful monitoring of the health risks.
‘We are also looking closely at reducing the physical-distancing requirement from two metres to one metre.
‘We all want to see the last few businesses open as soon as possible to help retain Islanders’ livelihoods and jobs and to start the Island on its recovery.’
Senator Farnham also confirmed that despite many businesses now being able to open their doors, no plans were in place to scale back the financial support in the coming weeks.
He added: ‘We are not looking to reel it in just yet. We are committed to supporting businesses through the pandemic
and support is there to August.
‘Beyond that we will look at changes, but if there are businesses struggling to recover we could look to offer them more support.’
Meanwhile, Guernsey signalled the next phase of its exit strategy yesterday, with ministers confirming that lockdown would end on Saturday 20 June.
With no new positive cases since the end of April, Guernsey is planning to end all distancing requirements in eight days’ time in what has been described – ahead of a Covid-19 vaccine signalling the end of the pandemic – as the island’s ‘new normal’.
Guernsey police have said that there are currently 421 islanders in self-isolation, and that in the past week the force had made 290 phone checks and 37 visits to check that self-isolation requirements were being complied with.
