Wednesday 11 November 2020
Plans for students to return home to the Bailiwick in early December are unaffected by the UK Government's announcement today.
Guernsey students and their families are being reassured by the States that the plans put in place for additional flights from a range of regional airports between 1st - 6th December remain in place. University students were sent an email this morning to clarify.
The UK Government announced this morning that students must return home between 3rd - 9th December. After this point all universities are being directed to move their teaching online except for frontline nursing and medical training which will continue as planned.
The majority of the Guernsey student flights fall within the window of time. The only exception is the Manchester flight on 1st December. Discussions are ongoing with Public Health England to ensure that this flight continues as planned.
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
'The UK Government has chosen this window of time as it represents the safest period for students to travel, as it immediately follows the national lockdown. This latest announcement highlights the benefits of the additional flights scheduled as a result of the States of Guernsey's work with Aurigny.
'We have been very impressed with the mature approach shown by Guernsey students, a number of whom have already returned home. We continue to provide students with information and support so that they are fully aware of the latest advice before they travel. Later this month we will be sending them lots of useful information regarding self-isolation, travel, collection from the airport and much more.'
A new page has also been created on the States of Guernsey's Covid website specifically to further support returning students. This can be found at https://covid19.gov.gg/guidance/students.
