CCA points the way to quarantine-free travel

It has been a year since islanders were able to travel freely without restrictions.

But this afternoon detailed proposals for how travel could restart were published.

Civil Contingencies Authority chairman Peter Ferbrache said they were moving forward.

‘People need hope,’ he said. ‘This has been a terrible lockdown.’

Currently only people with travel permits can enter the island. But these will be scrapped from 2 March, allowing non-essential travel to resume. There will still be a 14-day self-isolation for all arrivals.

From 30 April, regional and country classifications will be re-introduced, which could reduce quarantine.

If there is an air bridge, this will be classed as category one and there will be no quarantine.

The next level – category two – would be for people who arrive from an area with less than 30 cases per 100,000 people in the previous seven days.

They will only have to self-isolate until they receive a negative test result on arrival.

Currently the UK has 60 cases per 100,000 and no region would fall below the 30 case threshold. But case numbers are falling.

Category three would be for areas with 30 to 100 cases per 100,000, who after testing on arrival would have to self-isolate until they had a negative test on day seven.

Areas with rates higher than 100 cases per 100,000 would be subject to the current 14 days of self isolation with tests or 21 days self isolation without tests.

From 1 July, there would be no self-isolation restrictions for inbound travellers, although they may still need to test on arrival.

his date was chosen as it is expected that all islanders who wish to be vaccinated will have had at least one dose.

‘All of this is subject to caveats,’ Deputy Ferbrache said.

‘Guernsey is a small part of the great big world. We are doing well. We are doing better than just about every other place.’

The concept of vaccine passports is being discussed, but no decisions have been made.

Guernsey is currently in stage two of its exit from lockdown.

But the panel again said the island was on track to move into stage three on Monday 22 March.

There is currently only one active case of Covid-19 and there have been no new cases for 13 days.