The change in policy follows days of chaos for schools and businesses as hundreds of Islanders were forced into quarantine after coming into contact with a positive Covid case.
Whole classes have been forced to stay at home, with some schools seeing more than half of their year groups in isolation.
It is understood that some businesses have had to close because so many of their staff have been contact-traced.
Some Islanders have also reported waiting days for results as the surge in tests caused long backlogs.
Ministers have said the change in policy reflects the fact that vaccines have reduced the risk of serious illness from Covid, and that the restrictions on freedom were now doing more harm than the virus itself.
Under the new isolation policy, which came into effect at 7pm today:
- There is no isolation requirement for anyone identified as a direct contact as long as they are participating in the testing programme and do not have Covid-19 symptoms.
- Direct contacts who choose not to be tested are required to isolate for 14 days.
- Identified direct contacts will be contacted by the Covid Safe team to arrange testing. This may be by text message, phone or email.
- All passengers who are identified as a direct contact when travelling to Jersey will not have to isolate, but will still need to follow the testing regime for arrivals as set out in the Safer Travel Policy.
- The Safer Travel Policy testing and isolation requirements for arriving passengers remains unchanged.
- If Islanders develop any one of the main Covid-19 symptoms, they must immediately isolate and call the Coronavirus Helpline to arrange a test.
- If Islanders receive a positive result, they must isolate immediately for 14 days.
Health Minister Richard Renouf said: ‘As we learn more about the virus and how we manage life with it, we need to proportionately adjust our policies to ensure we are not causing unnecessary harm to Islanders, businesses and schools.
‘We must amend restrictions to freedom which are now causing more harm to Islanders’ health and wellbeing than the Covid infections we are seeing on Island.
‘Proportionate restrictions are now needed to reflect the lower risk that Covid-19 has on public health, thanks to our vaccination programme. The vaccination programme has fully vaccinated 60% of those 18 and above and we have seen low risk of severe illness and hospitalisation, which shows a significant level of protection in the community from severity of infection.
‘With the revision of the policy, we must not overlook the importance of vaccination and the protection it affords Islanders; it is the most important mitigation we have which will see Islanders safely through the pandemic.
‘In the context of vaccination coverage, it is time to stop seeing the number of cases as the primary risk factor. With these changes in policy, Jersey will see a significant increase in the number of positive cases but what we must now focus on is our hospitalisation rate and protecting our vital services.
‘As always, we will continue to monitor the impact of these changes and if that scale of harm becomes outweighed again, we will review restrictions. Please remember the basics of good protection from Covid-19. Public health recommendations are to wash your hands, wear a face mask in public, keep two meters away from people in public spaces, and to allow good circulation of fresh air.
‘I urge those who present with any one of the Covid symptoms to isolate immediately and contact the helpline for a test.’
