The government has also pushed back the date for lifting restrictions on travel to other jurisdictions outside of the UK and other Crown Dependencies, from 17 May to 28 May, and signalled this will be a summer only policy – the end date for which is yet to be decided.
Travel restrictions will now be based on national Covid levels for Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, rather than lower-tier local authority rates.
Passengers from within the Common Travel Area (the UK, Crown Dependencies and Ireland) who have had both vaccinations will be given a ‘green light’ and not required to self-isolate on arrival to the Island, as long as they come from a green or amber area. Instead they will only take a day zero test and will not have to isolate until the result is returned.
However, even with a double vaccination, a traveller from a ‘red’ area will still be subject to ten days’ isolation.
Jersey’s testing system is also changing, with green areas requiring tests at day zero and day eight for people who have not had two vaccinations, with amber and red retaining day zero, five and ten tests.
Green arrivals who are not fully vaccinated must still isolate until their first negative test result. The testing and isolation requirements for amber and red arrivals who have not had two jabs remain unchanged.
The 14-day coronavirus rates that make up Jersey’s green, amber and red classifications will not change.
All these changes will take place on 28 May. The government said they had pushed the date back for easing travel restrictions to avoid making the wider changes in a piecemeal fashion.
Jersey’s government has said it is working on an App that would incorporate vaccination passports but to begin with it would be some form of physical identification for Island residents, and an ‘easy method’ to prove for CTA residents.
Public Health and the Health Minister will also reserve an ’emergency brake’ for areas with variants of concern or high infection rates within the CTA.
