Stage three is here at last

Well, almost.

Guernsey finally gets to join Sark and Alderney in stage three of our exit from lockdown today. That means a return to the near-normal life we were enjoying before the Bailiwick was hit by a highly transmissible variant of the Covid-19 virus back in January.

It is a landmark moment in our transition to a post-pandemic future and the majority of islanders will be rejoicing at their reclaimed freedom.

We can now hug our family and friends without worrying about bubbles. Social distancing is no longer a necessity. Face coverings in enclosed public spaces are no longer mandatory. All social, recreation and business activities can resume. Non-essential travel is permitted once more.

This is, indeed, good news.

However, it must be remembered that the global pandemic is far from over. For the time being at least, anyone coming into the island must still self-isolate for two weeks and many vulnerable Guernsey residents will still be shielding. Everyone is advised to keep up the heightened hand and respiratory hygiene, respect each other’s space and stay at home if they feel unwell. Anyone with symptoms should get tested.

None of this is a lot to ask.

We are now tantalisingly close to achieving the magic number of 28 days of no new cases, which means we will have eliminated the virus from our shores once more (not forgetting the single long-term case still being treated in hospital, of course).

But, as welcome as that would be, Guernsey’s Civil Contingencies Authority has made it clear that total elimination is not the goal.

Once we move beyond stage three, and further relax our border restrictions, it is inevitable that the virus will return. The hope is that, with the most vulnerable in our community having been vaccinated, the potential impact will not be as serious as it has been in the past.

With an impressive on-island testing capacity and robust track and trace processes, any serious outbreaks ought to be picked up speedily.

But, as we saw in January, the situation can change quickly.

There are no guarantees that the Bailiwick will not have to endure a third lockdown in the future.

All we can do is savour our relative freedom for as long as we have it.