New Year parties still on despite Covid surge

Announcing the ongoing ‘proportionate’ approach, Civil Contingencies Authority chairman Peter Ferbrache appealed for people to celebrate cautiously with an emphasis on personal responsibility.

‘Don’t party up – go to one pub, go to one house, go to one establishment.

'If everybody does these things it will help and we will slow this wave.’

So far the surge in cases, with another 300 identified yesterday, has not resulted in a similar increase in hospitalisations. Yesterday there were five people with Covid in hospital.

More than 37,000 vaccine booster doses have now been given.

Dr Nicola Brink, the director of Public Health, said the island was seeing the impact of the booster programme.

‘The encouraging part is that we are seeing a milder disease in the Bailiwick, and we are seeing that disassociation between hospital admissions and case numbers,' she said.

The change in the testing strategy to rely more on lateral flow tests was deemed a success, and 705 of the current cases were from self-reported positive LFTs.

The Omicron variant wave arrived slightly earlier than the authorities had anticipated, and this was put down to its highly contagious nature, and a couple of ‘super spreader events’ during the weekend before Christmas.

Multiple New Year’s Eve events across the island will continue as scheduled.

Fusion Nightclub has confirmed it will be open tonight as usual.

‘We are following all of the guidance and we ask everyone to do what the States have recommended before coming out on New Year’s,’ said Fusion’s managing director Alex Lock.

As of yesterday, establishments including Les Folies d’Amour, Fermain Tavern, Mojito’s, the Thomas De La Rue pub, the Venture Inn, Koi Koi, the Slaughterhouse and Octopus were all going ahead with late-night plans to ring in 2022.

All venues are asking customers to do lateral flow tests, use hand sanitiser, and stay away if they have any Covid symptoms.

Meanwhile, Omicron continues to wreak havoc on other hospitality businesses.

The Little Big Hotel Group announced that the Peninsula, Fleur du Jardin and Les Douvres would be closed to the public for at least 10 days after up to 70% of staff tested positive for Covid-19 in the last four days.

Managing director Charlie Walker said it did not have the resources to remain fully open.

‘It is incredibly upsetting and disappointing that it’s come to this point,' she said.

'Closing is the only feasible thing we could do with such a small percentage of our workforce.’

The Lobster & Grill restaurant at Le Friquet Hotel has also closed following a Covid outbreak among kitchen staff.