About half of the 80-strong Lions party currently touring South Africa, including players, coaches and support staff, are due to arrive in Jersey on Monday following the conclusion of their tour to South Africa.
The Lions spent 11 days in Jersey in June before the tour, and their return has been welcomed by Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham.
‘It is fitting that the Lions started their campaign in Jersey and will draw it to a close here as well,’ Senator Farnham said.
He added: ‘The training camp was a period of intense preparation, when they had limited time to enjoy the Island. This time coaches and players will reunite with their families and will be able to properly see what we have to offer.
‘The squad will be welcomed as individual guests who are here to recuperate, with very limited work commitments.
‘No formal community events will be arranged while they are here, and the cost of the visit is being met by the Lions.’
UK media have reported that the Lions had lobbied the UK government to be granted exemption from quarantine on the basis of the tightness of their bubble arrangements throughout the tour.
British Olympians will not be required to quarantine on returning from Japan, which is rated amber on the UK’s classifications, but South Africa’s red-list status meant a different approach for the rugby tourists.
A Government of Jersey spokesperson said all players and coaches would be PCR-tested every day for the first ten days of their stay, with a requirement to isolate until they received negative results from their arrival tests, while anyone not fully vaccinated will isolate for five days.
Senator Farnham said he hoped the visit would further raise Jersey’s international profile as a visitor destination, and wished the Lions luck in their third and deciding match against South Africa, which takes place in Cape Town this afternoon.
