‘We just have to trust people to be careful’

Following increasingly strong evidence that the Omicron variant is a less virulent strain than Delta, the Bailiwick officially ceased all legally binding Covid-related rules yesterday, allowing even those who have tested positive to mingle freely with others.

Testing at the borders was also stopped, as the Civil Contingencies Authority focused efforts away from a legal framework and towards community engagement – strongly urging anyone with symptoms to isolate.

Sandra Gallienne is the secretary of the Lungevity charity, which supports lung health in Guernsey.

She has been diagnosed with bronchiectasis – an abnormality of the lungs which causes bouts of coughing – and views the lifting of restrictions as great news for most but a worrying time for her.

‘It’s now all about trust,’ she said.

‘Will people who’ve got Covid isolate? It’s still a bit iffy.

‘We seem to have gone very quickly from lots of restrictions to now, nothing at all.

‘I’m still not even thinking of travelling and I’m going to carry on using LFTs.

‘I just have to trust that other people are doing them as well. I would ask that people make sure they get their vaccines.

‘If not, they’re being a bit thoughtless.’

She said she did not want to have to stay at home all the time but was now in the habit of avoiding crowds, with her husband, Phil Gallienne, doing the supermarket shop, for example.

He is the acting chairman of the charity and said some people with lung conditions, though welcoming the cessation of restrictions, would nevertheless feel they were being lifted ‘a touch too early’.

‘They’ve not stopped going out but they are a bit more wary and will still wear masks,’ he said.

‘They are in a vulnerable position.’

Covid can be more serious for people with lung conditions and some were advised to shield at times during part of the pandemic, as an infection was more likely to lead to complications or hospitalisation.

Group meetings run by the charity have not yet resumed but Mr Gallienne said he hoped to restart them soon.

‘There are now about 25 islanders on our books, having lost a few last year, and we’ve been keeping in touch by doing quizzes online, especially during the first lockdown,’ he said.

One of those using the charity’s services is Margaret Smitherman, who has been diagnosed with emphysema.

She said she welcomed the lifting of restrictions but would continue to be careful.

‘We have to learn to live with it,’ she said.

‘The island can’t stand still.

‘If I caught it, I would probably end up in hospital – and I might not come out – but we can’t go on being locked down forever.’

Mrs Smitherman is hoping to get away for a holiday in France but she is keeping a close eye on the Covid situation there.

Readers with lung conditions have called the Guernsey Press to express strong feelings of anxiety about the lifting of restrictions, but did not want to speak on the record.

In the UK it is estimated that one in five people have a history of asthma, COPD or another longstanding respiratory illness.