A fifth of Jersey event delegates may have Covid

Two Guernsey deputies have returned positive tests, with another due to receive a PCR test result today, while the Jersey and Isle of Man contingents appear to have picked up a case each.

It is not known, at this stage, whether the five participants in the Crown Dependencies Network event who have caught the virus did so during the three-day series of meetings. Nor is it known whether any one of them passed it on to another.

Deputy Steve Falla, who led the Guernsey delegation, confirmed on social media on Monday that he had returned a positive PCR test.

‘It’s impossible to say where I got it,’ he told the Guernsey Press yesterday.

‘But I was at the CDN event in Jersey from Wednesday until Friday, I started feeling groggy on Saturday and my worst fears were realised on Monday when I got the PCR result.’

In a photograph which Deputy Falla emailed the media last week, delegates at the conference were pictured without masks. The wearing of masks is not mandatory in Jersey and Deputy Falla said the precautions in place felt appropriate at the time.

‘We were fairly spread out in the chamber,’ he said.

‘It was only a third full, so at the time, wearing masks didn’t really seem necessary.’

‘It’s easy to see things with a different perspective in hindsight. It’s a pernicious thing. I don’t know whether it would have made a difference to wear a mask.’

Yesterday, Jersey senator Sam Mezec Tweeted: ‘I’ve got Covid! I don’t feel great, but I’ve felt worse. 10 days of isolation for me now.

‘I dread to think how I’d be feeling now if I wasn’t mostly protected by my vaccinations.’

Guernsey deputy Carl Meerveld said he had taken two lateral flow tests per day since the meeting, which had shown up negative but he was booked in for a PCR test because he was displaying symptoms and had been a close contact.

Despite feeling ill he had been able to take part in meetings via computer and felt able to go on with business as usual as a result of being fully vaccinated.

‘Everybody is conscious of the risks but we’re all moving to the point where we have to live with this,’ he said.

‘We’re all likely to be exposed at some stage, so it’s incredibly important that we all get vaccinated. Then, if we do get it, the symptoms will not be severe and we won’t need hospitalisation, which can put those services under threat. The real risk to the system is those who are not vaccinated.’

He had also had his flu jab for the same reason, he said.

One other Guernsey deputy who attended the Jersey event confirmed that they had had a positive LFT, but they preferred not to be named. The CDN conference, which focused on population and promoting good health, was the second to be held, with the inaugural meeting having taken place in the Isle of Man in 2019 and a third meeting expected to be held in Guernsey later in this States term.

Meanwhile a Guernsey deputy who did not go on the Jersey trip has confirmed that he tested positive for Covid a week ago.

Deputy Simon Fairclough said he was still able to attend States Assembly and Constitution Committee and Environment & Infrastructure meetings remotely, but was frustrated that he would miss Friday’s Scrutiny Management Committee hearing.

He said his mandatory isolation should end in time for him to go to the November States meeting next week.

Those States members who are still isolating will have the option of appointing a proxy member to vote on their behalf.

‘Proxy voters don’t count towards making the assembly quorate,’ SACC president Meerveld said.

‘But we’re not at that stage yet.’