Southeast England set to become category two at midnight
ABOUT 160 travellers could be unexpectedly released early from self-isolation, as a Public Health England mistake means southeast England will be category two from midnight tonight.
For areas with less that 30 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days, arrivals only need to self-isolate until they received a negative test result on arrival.
Southeast England - which includes Surrey, Hampshire and Kent - has remained stubbornly just above 30, meaning arrivals had to self-isolate for at least seven days.
But an error involving more than 4,700 English positive results meant that the region should actually have been in category two since last Friday.
When the news broke Guernsey officials reviewed the data and updated the figures.
Medical Officer of Health Dr Nicola Brink said it was unfortunate that the discrepancy in the data had occurred and it had impacted some arrivals to the Bailiwick.
'However, teams of staff are working hard to contact everyone impacted as it would be unreasonable to make travellers continue to abide by category three self-isolation and testing requirements when they have only ever been in a category two country or region in the 14 days prior to arriving in the Bailiwick,' she said.
It is estimated about 160 travellers who have arrived in the Bailiwick since Friday, who might have been impacted by the update, specifically relating to those travelling from, or in some cases through, southeast England.
Staff from the Guernsey Border Agency and Public Health Services have already started to contact these passengers to advise them of the issue and to make the necessary changes to self-isolation requirements.
Anyone who thinks that they may have been affected by update, and has not been contacted by noon tomorrow should email travel.tracker@gov.gg after 3pm.
