Normality in sight with restrictions to be lifted

The move will see the end of social distancing and shop queues, and restrictions on the size of gatherings will also be scrapped. All businesses can reopen.

Health & Social Care president Heidi Soulsby said the move will be a real milestone and recognised the combined effort that the whole community had put in.

‘We have pulled together in a way I couldn’t have imagined when this all started, and we’re now able to unlock far sooner than we thought we would,’ she said.

‘We’re able to do this because, remarkably, we have no active cases of the virus and it’s more than 40 days since our last new positive case.’

She noted that if Guernsey had not taken any action, it was estimated that about 1,800 islanders would have died. And she added that locking down in March was the right decision.

Further unlocking needed to be done cautiously. Most pupils have only been back at school since Monday and Deputy Soulsby said they needed to see if new cases would appear. She also noted that businesses needed to adjust to the changes and Law Enforcement needed to ensure they were prepared.

‘This is a big moment and one to celebrate, but my thoughts are also with those who have suffered the most, and those who have made the greatest sacrifices,’ she said.

‘We cannot forgot that lives have been lost. We cannot forget those who could not be with their loved ones at the end of their lives or who have had to hold funerals without the many friends and family they would want around them to say goodbye properly. Others have cancelled big, once-in-a-lifetime, plans such as their wedding. And others have had very personal struggles with mental health resulting from the fear and isolation of this period. We must not forget what this pandemic has cost us.’

The change will mean that bars and nightclubs can reopen fully, along with inside playgrounds.

However, there will still be some changes from normal life. The self-isolation of all people arriving in the Bailiwick for 14 days, except with limited exemptions, will continue.

Islanders will still be urged to respect each other’s personal space and everyone will be encouraged to continue with good hygiene practices and to stay at home if they are feeling unwell.

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said Guernsey could not drop its guard entirely. ‘Our extended testing programme will continue to test hundreds of samples each day and our contact tracers will be ready to respond 24/7 if and when we see a new positive case,’ she said. ‘We must be alert that this is a real possibility. We shouldn’t panic when it happens, and we will react quickly to identify and isolate any associated cases. That “test, track and isolate” will remain at the heart of our strategy going forward.’

Civil Contingencies Authority chairman Gavin St Pier said it had been a long road, but a return to normality was now in sight.

‘As we prepare to enter phase five, all that remains before the move to our final phase is reopening travel,’ he said. ‘We aren’t setting a date for this, it’s very much dependent on finding the best, safest way to do it without putting our community at risk. We’ll be looking very hard at all the options for this.’