How did we become a Covid hotspot?

We have seen figures for live cases in the island hover around the 1,000 mark for a while and now start, slowly, to dip. But the news that Guernsey now has one of the highest infection rates in Europe, let alone Britain, after being so proud for so long about our Covid-free, or virtually Covid-free status, will still surprise. In some ways, this should be seen as a positive.

It will surprise because, for many islanders, if this is ‘living with Covid’, then they will feel they can cope with it. And so, perhaps most importantly, can our hospital, currently housing two patients with Covid. Deaths have remained steadfastly low.

Clearly not everyone is happy with matters at the moment. School attendances are ravaged, with some teachers still unhappy with arrangements.

The hospitality sector, desperate for a recovery and a good Christmas, is beset by cancellations every day, for genuine sickness or simply concerns about hosting an office party in the current environment.

However, questions do arise.

From a community which initially appeared to be terrified by Covid and prepared to do whatever it took to eradicate it from our community, have islanders since started to become complacent?

Where we were desperate to receive the call for vaccination back in the spring, are some now sluggish to pursue booster jabs?

Are we less worried now most know someone who has had Covid and come out of the other side with few ill effects? Do we believe that Omicron, rather than a threat to be feared, is actually a milder variant?

Is our vaccine take up as high as we would like it to be?

And would we even be in the position we are today if we’d all adhered to the masks advice when it was first raised by the CCA, rather than having to wait for mandatory face coverings to be introduced a month later?

The States was not able to answer our questions yesterday. That’s disappointing, particularly as today's story seeks neither to shame or blame, but it might be useful to try to explain how we got here.