The development comes as a new self-contained laboratory is due to arrive in the Island next week to boost Jersey’s testing capacity.
A government spokeswoman said that the facility would need ‘to be tested and validated’ with the aim of being ‘operational in September’.
Last week the UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that two new tests – an ‘on-the-spot’ swab and a DNA testing machine – would be rolled out in an attempt to speed up assessments of whether patients have been infected with the virus.
Both testing mechanisms are reported to be able to return a result within an hour and a half.
The average time it takes for results to be returned to passengers arriving at the Island’s ports currently is between 20 and 30 hours, according to official figures.
A number of Islanders have, however, anecdotally reported results taking much longer, sometimes several days.
Chief Minister John Le Fondré is due to be subject to the testing régime himself shortly, having taken a summer holiday in France, which has been upgraded to ‘amber’ status on Jersey’s ‘traffic-light system’ for travel safety ratings.
The change in the rating follows a spike in cases, particularly in the Brittany area.
A total of 500,000 of the UK’s new rapid swab tests, which are called LamPORE, are due to be rolled out this week in adult care centres and laboratories, with millions more in the pipeline.
Meanwhile, around 5,000 DNA testing machines, called DnaNudge, are due to be made available in NHS hospitals from next month, following recent trials in London.
A Government of Jersey spokeswoman said that the developments in the UK were
‘interesting’ and being monitored with a view to new apparatus being introduced in
Jersey.
‘We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Department of Health England to look at all testing technologies,’ she said.
‘The two test-processing systems reported are among many interesting developments. One may be suitable for testing at scale, the other has the potential to be used as a “point of care” test, but can only manage 15 tests per machine per day.
‘Neither is immediately available. We will continue to assess the suitability of these
and other testing solutions for use in the Island.’
France’s reclassification to amber status means residents returning from the country will face an automatic period where they need to self-isolate, with tests taken when they arrive as well as on the fifth day after arrival. Passengers must self-isolate until both tests are confirmed negative.
A government spokeswoman confirmed that Senator Le Fondré would be subject to this régime.
‘France was reclassified as amber on Saturday after updated figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control were published,’ she said.
‘The Chief Minister is on holiday in France and will return home as planned. He will undergo the same testing and quarantine requirements as all other arriving passengers when he gets back to Jersey.’
