Cautious approach looks here to stay

Yesterday, Jersey announced that its borders would reopen with a testing regime in place for arrivals to allow people to avoid any quarantine period.

But restrictions there are still in place, with social distancing advice to keep one metre apart.

There remain five active cases.

Both Guernsey and the Isle of Man, in contrast, have a long streak of being Covid-19 free and everyone can go about their daily life with no need to consider bubbles, who is in a household and how far apart they should stand.

We will be linked by an air bridge from the middle of next month, but outside of that the quarantine period makes less appealing all but the most essential travel elsewhere.

The Isle of Man initiative is a welcome opportunity for those who can afford to travel and in turn may provide a limited amount of solace to those here who are so dependent on visitors.

It will be a big bonus to sports looking for guaranteed and accessible competition, particularly with an Island Games year just around the corner.

There remains a significant tension in the community over the risks of opening up the borders, with many backing the very cautious approach being taken by government.

Others will question how long we can afford to remain isolated as others open their borders.

The States is now making grants available to hotels, guest houses and self-catering providers in a scheme that will last until April, at a cost of £6.5m.

That is a clear indication that any notion of there being serious tourism later this summer has been abandoned. There is no rush to go down the Jersey route and the risks that entails.

Other jurisdictions are walking a tightrope when it comes to opening up – some have not even exited their first wave, while others suffer from a second as restrictions are dropped.

With the Isle of Man scheme confirmed, and steps being taken to cut the quarantine period to a week instead of 14 days, what is now needed is greater clarity on what the next stage is for our borders and travel links.