Deputy Peter Ferbrache said that there was renewed opportunity for the islands to work together following a spike in Covid-19 cases in Guernsey coinciding with a drop in Jersey.
He was responding to Environment Minister John Young who said earlier this week that the positions the two islands were now in presented an opportunity for them to align their strategies, with a view to introducing a travel corridor once cases fall to a safe level.
Deputy Ferbrache said he has been in talks with the Crown Dependencies in regards to the possibility of an air bridge.
‘At the moment it is far too early,’ he said.
‘The numbers will drop and as soon as it is practicable and is safe, we will be looking for opportunities for people to travel.’
Before an air link between the two islands can happen, Deputy Ferbrache said a number of factors would have to change, including a much-closer alignment of Covid-19 strategies, and case numbers in both islands dropping and staying low.
‘Of course we want to work with our colleagues in Jersey, of course we want to work with our colleagues in the Isle of Man as well. We want to open up as quickly as we can. The hospitality sector in particular – it’s not the only one but that has received a real bashing over the last ten months, and we want to do all that we can to realistically help them, but again to emphasise we need to be safe. There’s no point opening up the borders prematurely and all of sudden we’re going to have another lockdown in six weeks’ time.’
Debate was sparked in the two islands following the publication of a letter in the JEP from an anonymous Guernsey resident who questioned the strict Covid strategy enforced there but felt unable to speak publicly due to the potential backlash they may receive.
