No negative tests needed for Liberation and Rapide

Condor believes it will encourage

people to travel on Liberation and Rapide services between the islands, the UK and France and help boost the visitor economies as jurisdictions start to relax restrictions.

For passengers on conventional vessels – Commodore Clipper and the freight-only Commodore Goodwill – the prerequisite of a negative test within 72 hours of departure is being maintained to safeguard freight supplies.

Condor’s operations director Elwyn Dop said they were pleased to see the UK case numbers dropping.

‘We stepped up safety protocols earlier this year to protect those on our conventional ships and keep freight shipments secure, which was absolutely the right decision at the time,’ he said.

‘The encouraging news of a reduction in cases and a ramping up of vaccinations in the UK has provided us with the confidence that these tests will not be needed for travel on our passenger ferries when we restart, although we will retain this requirement on Clipper and Goodwill.’

Throughout the pandemic there have been special precautions in place on the freight boats because they are responsible for bringing in the islands’ food.

However, despite this, several staff living aboard the Goodwill did test positive earlier this year.

The company’s decision has no bearing on the need for testing by Public Health authorities on arrivals in Guernsey and Jersey and passengers are advised to check the requirements for all countries to which they are travelling.

Tests required for Clipper can be either PCR or lateral flow.

Condor is hoping to restart high speed passenger sailings on 21 May, subject to a relaxation of travel and quarantine restrictions.