‘We are looking at expanding our social bubble’

Guernsey households were able to socialise with members of one other home from Saturday and this may be increased in phase three if phase two holds out for another two and a half weeks.

Public Health director Dr Nicola Brink confirmed this was the case.

‘We are looking at expanding our social bubble,’ she said.

‘So adding more households to the bubble, we can work out how many more households you can add to the bubble at that stage.

‘Again, instead of opening everything up we’re saying well maybe another couple of households can come into your bubble and your bubble becomes a bigger household bubble and that just starts increasing social connectivity.’

Health & Social Care president Heidi Soulsby said she understood it was difficult but advised it was important to keep islanders safe by expanding the bubbles slowly.

‘We’ve heard various comments about the extended bubble,’ she said.

‘There was a lot of people living on their own and with grandparents, a single set of grandparents not being able to see their grandchildren.

‘We do understand issues over having two sets of grandchildren on island and having to choose but this is for a short period of time and we’re doing this in a controlled way so we can manage that risk.’

Dr Brink added that the lockdown had impressed upon her how important social connectivity was valued as part of island life, adding this was what informed the island’s easing of lockdown measures.

‘It’s trying to design an exit strategy that takes into account what’s important of islanders and not, well, let’s just do this and this and this,’ she said.

‘We would actually see what people want and I think with the duration again, what we’ve said is that can go backwards and forwards so we’d see the duration is eight weeks but, actually, if we do very well in that phase we could actually count back those eight weeks if we have no community transmission we can then use those weeks to come forward.

‘I think that’s really important that we are flexible with regards to that.’

Phase four could see a further increase in household bubbles as retail, hospitality, beauticians and hairdressers starting to operate under strict guidance and real social distancing rules, where five or more bubbles could be allowed.

Phase five would see the whole Bailiwick bubble able to socialise with each other.