Thursday 09 April 2020
Public Health is satisfied the current controls on movement to and from the Bailiwick are protecting islanders against the spread of COVID-19 and tighter measures, such as requiring permission to travel, are unnecessary.
Currently, anyone arriving in the island is met by Guernsey Border Agency officers and given notice of the legal requirement to self-isolate for 14 days. They then have to complete a form with their contact details.
Failure to comply with the mandatory self-isolation requirement is a criminal offence. Only critical workers, such as airline staff, are exempt.
The number of passengers travelling to and from the islands has fallen dramatically since these measures came into effect three weeks ago. The public, both within the Bailiwick and elsewhere, have been asked to avoid all but essential travel. Flight schedules between Guernsey and the UK have been reduced to just one Southampton service a day, and passenger ferry operations are suspended until mid-May.
The majority of arrivals are now thought to be islanders returning home. Others travellers are undergoing medical treatment, either in the UK or, in the case of some Alderney residents, in Guernsey.
In the last seven days (Thursday 2 April to Wednesday 8 April), 141 passengers arrived in Guernsey. Of that total, around a third were from Alderney.
Public Health considers the current controls effective and appropriate, and is not advising that further restrictions are required.
Any additional requirements, such as a permit scheme for anyone wanting to enter or leave the Bailiwick, would be complex to administer, particularly for passengers originating from outside Guernsey. It also will have significant legal implications, including the requirement for an appeals mechanism, which could be complicated and time-consuming.
Besides a daily flight to and from Southampton, Monday to Friday a week, Aurigny is only operating a twice daily service between Guernsey and Alderney, six days a week. This is primarily to allow critical workers to travel to and from Alderney to carry out essential work, or for islanders to attend urgent medical appointments which cannot be done by video conference.
Alderney does not yet have any confirmed cases of COVID 19. Anyone returning there from outside the Bailiwick is subject to the same two week mandatory self-isolation requirement as in Guernsey, unless they have to travel again within that time for further medical treatment.
Sark also has no confirmed cases of COVID19, and permission from the Sark Doctor is required before anyone can enter the island.
