As infection rates continued to climb, with more than 80 new positive cases added to the Island’s tally over the weekend – there are now almost 250 active cases, and a warning of a major risk of increased hospitalisation in the coming weeks if nothing is done.
Masks will be compulsory in indoor public spaces such as shops, banks and taxis from 10am tomorrow, and Health Minister Richard Renouf is also lining up other steps:
- Legal measures to enforce the maximum size of gatherings are to be brought in within a few days, along with revised guidance on physical distancing, with a return to two-metre distancing appearing imminent.
- Christmas guidelines regarding household bubbles will be issued shortly, while high-risk Islanders and those over 70 face firmer guidance regarding shielding, and those who can work from home are now advised to do so.
Ministers remain keen on averting a lockdown, with a spokesman stressing that Jersey’s position was well below those witnessed elsewhere: the second wave has been assessed at around one-third of the UK’s, and one-sixth the scale of the French second wave.
The total number of positive Covid-19 cases in Jersey since March has now exceeded 1,000, with a 14-day figure of more than 220 cases per 100,000 people.
Measures are expected to be formally announced at a press conference due to take place tonight [30 December] at 7pm. Click here to view.
