Three-staged exit from lockdown no earlier than 18 February
NON-ESSENTIAL businesses that can operate with one staff member only, who comes into no physical contact with another individual, can return to work from tomorrow.
That was the announcement at today's Covid-19 press briefing where a few restrictions were eased for lone workers and the vulnerable.
Support bubbles will be allowed in specific circumstances, including households with children under one year old and households with single parents and lone adult carers.
These changes to restrictions come ahead of a three-staged approach to exiting lockdown, which will not start until 18 February at the earliest.
Face coverings are being made mandatory in indoor public spaces from Saturday 13 February.
Vice-President of Policy & Resources and advisor to the Civil Contingencies Authority Deputy Heidi Soulsby said for those who work in indoor trades, lone workers may return to offices, workshops or other premises.
'This may make it possible, for example, for non-essential retailers to fulfil and deliver or dispatch orders received online as long as they can undertake work without any contact with other individuals, whether colleagues, customers or clients,' she said.
For those who work in outdoor trades, lone workers can return to property and building maintenance, gardening and horticulture, and fishing or other maritime trades as long as they can undertake work without any contact with others.
CCA chairman Deputy Peter Ferbrache said these immediate changes were about getting people back to work where their activity poses little or no risk of spreading the virus.
Tomorrow's introduction of support bubbles are for people who qualify in the following groups:
- Where there is only one adult (this includes households with one adult living alone or one adult and any children under the age of 18);
- Where there is only one adult carer (this means households where this is one adult carer and anyone else living within the household has a disability and requires continuous care);
- Where there is a child under one, regardless of how many other adults are in the household;
- Where there is a child under 5 with a disability that requires continuous care (regardless of how many other adults are in the household); or
- Where an individual needs to move to another household to support their physical and mental wellbeing.
The 'bubbling up' of any two households is due to follow with the start of Stage 1 of the exit from lockdown strategy.
Stage 1 will also allow small gatherings outside of no more than five people and non-public facing work places able to operate with up to 10 members of staff in outdoor sites and five staff in indoor sites.
In the exit from lockdown strategy, Stage 2 would see medium-risk activities resume.
This would see gatherings of up to 30 people inside or outside, public facing businesses [except nightclubs] being able to operate, table service in licensed premises, but no public singing or playing of woodwind and brass instruments.
Stage three would follow at least 14 days after entering Stage 2 and is dependent on the level of cases.
The outbreak would have to be officially eliminated in the Bailiwick for the a 'normal level of activity' to resume in the islands under Stage 3.
More detail in tomorrow's Guernsey Press.
