Due to the successful flattening of the curve, Deputy Heidi Soulsby announced yesterday that each household would be allowed to nominate one other household to spend time with during phase two of the lockdown.
‘It will now be possible, if you want to, to add one other household to your household bubble,’ she said.
‘In other words, two bubbles can join together.’
Despite the consideration of stricter lockdown rules for the elderly, over-65s will be allowed to mix with another household.
Grandparents will also be able to hug their grandchildren, Deputy Soulsby said as she clarified that social distancing would not be necessary within the expanded household.
The strict limit of combining only two households was necessary to maintain ‘hard-won’ gains, said Dr Nicola Brink, the Director of Public Health.
The one-household limitation poses the conundrum of who to choose, especially for those with extended families, but Deputy Soulsby said it was the best solution available given the evidence.
‘It will be a difficult choice and we totally understand that,’ she said.
‘It will raise questions in families saying "who do we have that bubble with?"
‘Hopefully for the vast majority of households and for people living by themselves especially I think this will make a huge difference.’
Deputy Soulsby said that many alternative approaches had been looked at but all had various drawbacks. For example, allowing more mixing between households could require greater social distancing such as meeting outside and could risk greater transmission levels in the community.
If the curve remains under control phase three could allow the joining of two expanded bubbles meaning up to four households could mix.
While this plan is not set in stone, the CEO of the States of Guernsey Paul Whitfield pointed out that we could enter phase three if release triggers are met.
The good news was tempered with the confirmation that care homes residents would likely remain under strict controls for some time and funerals would remain limited.
In a moving moment, Medical Director Peter Rabey said a family member had passed away.
‘This affects all of us, we’re all in this together,’ Doctor Rabey said.
‘My aunty died this week and next week I know there would have been hundreds of people who wanted to go to her funeral and there will be ten or fewer of us that are allowed to go.’
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