Ministers are advising all Islanders that between 23 December and 5 January they should not attend more than three parties with more than five guests. Children under three years old will not be counted in gathering numbers where the gathering is in a person’s home or garden
The maximum number permitted will be ten for indoor gatherings and 20 for any held outdoors.
There are no restrictions on the number of gatherings of five guests or fewer that anyone attends.
Islanders are permitted to meet as small groups more than once a day and these smaller gatherings do not count towards the three party limit.
Chief Minister John Le Fondré, said: ‘I appreciate that this will not be the Christmas some of us are used to celebrating but, in the circumstances of this challenging year, we are incredibly lucky to be able to celebrate together in this way at all.
‘The three-time limit is there to protect the more vulnerable members of our families and our Island. Without these limitations, the spread of Covid-19 could prove fatal to those we love. We want to protect the most vulnerable and the impact of uncontrolled gatherings would see our number of active cases rise exponentially.
‘I hope Islanders can find the willingness, responsibility and commitment to enjoy this Christmas and New Year with their loved ones and those closest to them, with the underlying duty that we must all act with their interests in mind.’
Islanders are also being encouraged to keep records of who they socialise with, to support the Contact Tracing team if they are found to be a direct contact of a positive case.
