Covid-19 ‘roadmap to reconnection’ unveiled

Government of Jersey offices in The Parade. Coronavirus Covid-19 press conference address to the island. Senator John Le Fondre, chief minister Picture: ROB CURRIE

Plans were unveiled at a media briefing, with a series of steps designed to put aside Covid-19 restrictions. However, the Island’s travel policy remains to be considered by ministers next Tuesday and is due to be unveiled later that week.

Household mixing by up to ten people, indoor sport – including gyms – and singing will be able to resume with effect from Monday 15 March, followed by intervals of around one month to the subsequent stages:

  • From 12 April: Pubs will be able to sell alcohol without the need for accompanying food; outdoor gatherings of up to 20 and sporting ‘crowds’ of up to 40 will be permitted; work-from-home guidelines will be partially lifted.
  • From 10 May: Social-distancing orders will be revoked and replaced with less restrictive guidance; limits for indoor gatherings and weddings will be raised to 20 and 40 respectively; indoor singing will be permitted; saunas and jacuzzis will reopen; and remaining work-from-home guidance will lapse.
  • From 14 June: Islanders should get the green light to attend nightclubs, theatres, live-music concerts and other large events.

The pace of reconnection in Jersey will remain subject to confirmation at each stage, depending on a range of factors including case numbers, the progress in vaccination and the need to account for variants of the virus.

Chief Minister John Le Fondré praised Islanders for their ‘cooperation and absolute commitment’ saying that ‘the finish line is in sight but we can’t make the mistake of sprinting towards the end, we must all reach the finish line together.’

He said: ‘We did say in January that the reconnection would be a cautious approach, obviously the new factor here is making sure that we can get everybody vaccinated in the time frames that we are talking about.’

‘We’ve put out a roadmap which we think meets the caution around the vaccination programme that we are dealing with but also gets us back as quickly as we can.’

He added that ‘if we don’t see the numbers in the right place then potentially you do actually slow down,’ and that each stage would be subject to monitoring along the way.

Extended story: See Saturday’s JEP.

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