Island decides to move to seven-day isolation
GUERNSEY has agreed to follow the UK and cut Covid self-isolation from 10 to seven days in cases where the person has no symptoms.
Following the UK’s surprise move, made on medical advice, authorities in Guernsey were bounced into meeting yesterday to consider the move.
Eventually the Civil Contingencies Authority agreed to change the rules, providing the patient is symptom-free and has had a negative lateral flow test on days six and seven of their isolation.
Release will be made on the basis of trust, but individuals will be considered to be in enhanced passive follow-up for the remainder of what would have been their 10-day isolation, and urged to restrict their activities, with a threat of possible prosecution if they fail to do so.
Full details have been published on the Covid section of the States website, but they include not attending restaurants, clubs and bars, and not to attend gatherings of more than 20 people.
They should not leave the island, have a return to work risk-assessed, and not attend healthcare settings unless absolutely necessary.
‘In making these changes, we have tried to take a proportionate position that is appropriate for the Bailiwick,’ said Dr Nicola Brink, director of Public Health.
'We’re putting this in place on the basis of trusting our community to continue doing the right thing.
‘The aim of this approach is to help break chains of transmission while also minimising the impact of self-isolation on people’s lives and livelihoods.
'We have included the additional step of enhanced passive follow-up as this mitigates against the risk of transmission of the virus that causes Covid-19 in uncontrolled environments.’
CCA chairman Deputy Peter Ferbrache reinforced the additional layer of protection imposed in the island and also highlighted that the new measures were a legal requirement.
Earlier in the day the CCA had suggested that islanders should limit the size of social gatherings and avoid pub crawls and ‘party-hopping’ on a night out to keep interactions down.
'Clearly if we interact with fewer people, that is also a way of reducing those transmissions,' Dr Brink added.
Public Health is still expecting to see Omicron cases spiral.
As of yesterday there were 23 identified Omicron cases out of 846 active cases, another slight rise on the previous day. 128 new cases were identified across the day, seven of them being Omicron.
