Vaccine ‘passports’ on way
VACCINATION status letters will start going out tomorrow.
The States of Guernsey has confirmed the first batch of 10,000 would go out at the end of this week.
There will be no charge for the documents, which will go out to all those fully vaccinated, at the addresses supplied to the vaccination database.
Announcing the scheme, Civil Contingencies Authority chairman Peter Ferbrache stressed the purpose was to enable freedom of movement through other jurisdictions for those vaccinated, rather than additional freedoms within the Bailiwick, though he admitted that he could not rule out the latter.
He noted that no jurisdictions were banning non-vaccinated people outright, but certification would reduce isolation periods and testing requirements in most cases.
The certificates are being designed in collaboration with the UK and other Crown Dependencies, so as to be recognised easily in those territories, but they will feature Guernsey branding.
They will have a range of security features similar to those used in the manufacture of bank notes and will refer to the Government of Guernsey rather than the States of Guernsey, to help ensure recognition, abroad, of their authenticity.
Deputy Ferbrache urged recipients of the certificates to check the policies of the countries to which they were intending to travel or travel through, especially if intending to travel with older children, where policies on certification may differ from country to country.
He gave a reassurance that the CCA would look into exemption certificates for those people who have, for medical or other reasons, been unable to receive any vaccinations, as well as those who may be required to travel off-island for emergency medical treatment.
Regarding incoming travel, anyone coming into the Bailiwick from the Common Travel Area from 1 July will need to have their copy of this certificate as verification of their vaccine status to enter without any requirement for testing or self-isolation.
. If you have changed address recently, email vcc@gov.gg with the title ‘change of address’ with your name, date of birth, previous address and current address by 5pm today.
Jersey is moved to travel watchlist
JERSEY has been put onto the category two watchlist, after the States of Guernsey changed the source for Covid-19 infection data.
The most recent data on the States of Guernsey website has Jersey at 28.5 cases per 100,000 people over the last 14 days, but that dates from Monday.
‘There is a significant reporting lag for data from Jersey appearing in the WHO dataset, with the effect that the WHO data shows Jersey as 28 per 100,000 compared to the States of Jersey website, which is reporting over 40 per 100,000,’ a States of Guernsey spokesman said.
‘We have proposed to take data from the States of Jersey website, which will put Jersey onto the category two watchlist, and adjust our data source to use the States of Jersey. This is in line with England and France.’
Jersey has 51 active cases and 872 direct contacts in isolation. Its 14-day prevalence rate is 48.24 per 100,000.
An area that goes above 30 cases per 100,000 goes onto the category two watchlist. If it does not drop, it will go into category three in seven days’ time.
Currently arrivals from Jersey only have to self-isolate until they get a negative test result on arrival. But category three arrivals have to isolate for at least seven days.
