MAJOR de-escalation of Covid-19 measures will take place over the next two months, with ministers signalling that those with Covid will no longer be legally obliged to isolate after 31 March as the ’emergency phase’ of the pandemic ends.
Work-from home guidance and the legal requirement for mask-wearing in designated indoor public places will end at 0001 on Tuesday, with the requirements of the Island’s Safer Travel Policy ceasing on Monday 7 February.
At a press briefing today, the government also spelled out other stages of de-escalation, including:
– Reducing the recommended screening process for asymptomatic people to twice-weekly LFTs from 7 February, except in schools, where daily testing will be recommended.
– The end of government-led contact tracing from 7 February, with Islanders encouraged to notify their contacts if they have tested positive.
– The legal requirement for businesses to collect contact details to cease on 1 February.
– Passengers arriving in Jersey no longer being required to fill in travel forms or demonstrate their vaccination status after 7 February.
– Mandatory self-isolation for positive cases to be concluded by 31 March and replaced with guidance urging Islanders to ‘do the right thing’ if they are symptomatic or have tested positive.
Today’s announcement does not signal a change of policy for schools, with current measures remaining in place as part of the response to high rates of infection among children.
Individual establishments will be able to determine whether to request that customers wear masks. LibertyBus has indicated that masks will remain a condition of carriage on buses, but will not be compulsory at Liberation Station.
As part of the de-escalation process, the majority of laws and regulations regarding Covid are set to lapse by 31 March, although the overall ‘enabling law’ will remain in place, allowing the government to re-escalate in the event of a change of circumstances.
A post-emergency Covid-19 strategy is to be developed for approval by ministers and publication before the end of February.
