Deputy Richard Renouf told the States Chamber yesterday that the easing of testing requirements for arrivals into the Island and a completed vaccination programme might be factors which are considered when deciding whether to treat Covid as an endemic, rather than a pandemic, disease in Jersey.
However, he admitted that it was ‘too early’ to decide whether the Island could declare that the situation had changed and coronavirus could be thought of as endemic.
His comments came after Deputy Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham revealed earlier this week that border testing was set to be relaxed before the end of the month. He said that ministers had agreed ‘in principle’ to end blanket PCR swabbing for passengers later this month, with an announcement due to be made soon.
And last week Dr Ivan Muscat, the deputy medical officer of health, said that the Island was ‘edging closer’ to Covid becoming a ‘more manageable problem’. Speaking during yesterday’s States sitting, Deputy Renouf said: ‘If we are in position to remove testing at the borders, this might be a sign we are moving towards an endemic situation.
‘When we have delivered a vaccine programme to all eligible cohorts to the extent that it is advised – this is another sign that we could look to [as well].’
He added: ‘Once we see a stable level of Covid transmission indicating a new baseline of Covid, we might say the pandemic has ended and the virus is endemic. This will likely include minor seasonal trends like we see with flu. However, we are not yet in a position to declare Covid-19 as an endemic in Jersey.’
Deputy Renouf reassured Islanders that they would be informed about any decision to do so.
He continued: ‘There will be a clear message and we are currently working on our Covid winter strategy. We can expect to see different measures applied from time to time, either relaxed or enhanced, depending on the degree of risk in the Island. Just because we may do one thing, does not mean that people should think we will suddenly be moving from pandemic to endemic.’
