And Environment Minister John Young has criticised his fellow ministers for allowing the return saying that the Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell – which advises on pandemic policy – has been ‘completely disregarded’.
Some of the squad flew in from Dublin on Monday morning for a ‘rest and relaxation’ base, after spending six weeks touring South Africa.
Jersey played host to an 11-day training camp in June, with the Lions’ decision to use the Island as a base hailed by Jersey Reds chairman Mark Morgan as an opportunity to showcase its first-class sports facilities, including the Reds’ facilities at St Peter and the multi-million pound Strive Health Club.
However, in recently released minutes from meetings of the Scientific Technical Advisory Cell, members raised concerns that the return visit could set a ‘dangerous’ precedent. South Africa is currently one of the countries on the UK’s red list, necessitating mandatory ten-day quarantine for arriving passengers in a hotel. However, the Lions’ strict Covid protocols – which include daily testing – are understood to have provided scope for a less rigid quarantine regime in Jersey.
Environment Minister John Young said the move ‘does not seem at all right’ and suggested that the decision was ‘vote of no confidence territory’. He said he would not bring any vote himself, as he was focusing his time left in office on the draft Bridging Island Plan.
Deputy Young said he had learned of the ministerial decision only through reports and had sent an email to States Members raising his concerns.
He said: ‘It defeats the whole point of quarantine rules that people have had to put up with for 18 months.’
He added the decision risked setting a ‘very bad principle’ when it came to Common Travel Area rules.
At the June meeting, STAC was told the then-proposed visit would involve 80 people, made up of team and supporting staff, with minutes stating the ‘primary motivation’ for a return to Jersey was to ‘minimise the isolation requirements faced by the party on its return to the United Kingdom’ and class the squad as ‘green arrivals’.
The minutes stated the government proposal ‘recognised the fully vaccinated status of the squad and its support team and sought for the party to be classified as green arrivals, requiring two tests upon their entry into Jersey – one on day zero and one on day eight, with the need to isolate until the results of the first test result’.
But STAC ‘expressed its unease’ at the proposal, questioning ‘whether there was a risk of Jersey being regarded as a back door to the UK’.
South Africa was described as a ‘notable and considerable risk’ in the minutes, while any arrivals from a ‘red’ area should be treated with ‘absolute caution’.
At the meeting, the Island’s deputy medical officer Ivan Muscat stated his ‘very strong recollection’ that STAC had maintained significant concerns across the board that there was the potential for the South African (Beta) variant to enter Jersey, and the Island’s travel policy ‘should not be undermined’.
He remained concerned that STAC would be setting a ‘dangerous travel precedent’ if it accepted the proposal, the minutes stated.
The arrival of the Lions squad comes off the back of a hard-fought series defeat to the current world champions. With one test apiece, the Lions narrowly lost the final Test in Cape Town 19-16 on the weekend, after a penalty in the closing minutes of the game won the series for the Springboks.
