New guidance issued for which businesses can operate from Saturday

The key message to protect the community remains: Stay at home.

Islanders should not leave their home except to exercise, buy necessary food and supplies, for medical appointments or to work if that work is essential or the States has decided that it is a business that can operate in line with public health directions.

Businesses that may resume full or partial operation, subject to meeting the public health requirements outlined in the guidance, include:

- Gardening, building and other trades with no household contact

- Building wholesale and supply

- Vehicle servicing, maintenance and repairs (including cars, bikes and marine)

- Property sales, rentals and business transactions

As well, the new guidance outlines changes in relation to the number of employees allowed to carry out non-essential work on office premises, subject to meeting social distancing and hygiene requirements.

Any business falling within these categories that wishes to operate from 25 April 2020 must notify Environmental Health via www.gov.gg/covid19businessnotification.

The types of workers considered essential has not changed. Only vulnerable students and the children of essential workers can attend their school, college or early years provider.

The changes are consistent with the cautious approach adopted to date.

It represents a series of limited extensions to permitted activities which will gradually allow people back into the workplace in a controlled way. However, if the public health evidence indicates that this approach should be reversed in order to protect the community, that will be done.

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said evidence available has led to being in a position where she feels confident in easing some of the current strict restrictions on businesses that have been in place since the island entered lockdown.

'It will certainly not be business as usual for those who can resume work from Saturday, and businesses absolutely need to carefully read the guidance and stick to it as we cannot allow the community’s hard work in responding to this virus to be undone.

'We have always said our decisions will be based on evidence and while that has enabled us to take this step, we cannot guarantee that in the future we won’t need to tighten the restrictions again if the evidence dictates it.'

Chair of the Civil Contingencies Authority Deputy Gavin St Pier said the guidance needs to be read carefully by employers to ensure they comply with the non-negotiable public health directions around social distancing and hygiene requirements.

Even businesses that are already operating should read the guidance.

'There is no bullet-proof way of moving into this next phase as we seek to relax lockdown measures, so we need businesses and the wider community to continue supporting us to reduce the risk of the number of cases beginning to rise again.'

Health & Social Care president Deputy Heidi Soulsby said any business not able to meet the requirements cannot operate; no exceptions.

'We have been successful in flattening the curve, but we have to maintain that positive momentum as we move into the next phase of lockdown.'

The new guidance can be found at https://covid19.gov.gg/guidance/business