Alderney and Sark tackling lockdown with a “positive attitude”

Monday 08 February 2021

The Bailiwick of Guernsey has been in lockdown for two weeks now and this includes Alderney and Sark, despite their distance from Guernsey and initial lack of cases.

Both islands are following Public Health guidelines with a few tweaks for their separate unique situations.

Sark has seen all of its non-essential shops and its supermarket close.

“This is absolutely the right decision for Sark,” said Conseiller John Guille. “We’ve taken extra precautions this time round. The Sark shop is closed and only doing deliveries for the time being.”

Pictured: Sark’s passenger ferry is no longer operating and the cargo ship is only bringing people back to the island who are residents.

Mr Guille said residents are adhering to the strict lockdown rules and taking the situation very seriously.

“The Constables aren’t reporting any problems.”

Meanwhile, in Alderney, there have only been a few cases of people stepping outside of the rules.

“There’s a very positive attitude in Alderney,” said President of the States of Alderney, William Tate. "There have been only one or two hiccups and this has been through ignorance rather than intent.”

Alderney saw its first positive case recorded on 5 February. However, due to a swift track and trace process, it’s believed to be the only case on the island and this individual was already self-isolating.

Alderney and Sark both follow Public Health guidelines, but have been given opportunities for variations on guidance. For example, Alderney now requires people travelling from Guernsey into the island to self-isolate for 14 days.

Pictured: “It’s a tight-knit community, we support each other here,” said Mr Tate.

Sark and Alderney have been allocated their vaccines and each island’s programme is progressing well.

Sark has seen nearly one in five people receive their first dose of the vaccine, with four people having had their second dose. The population is more vulnerable than most, with more than half of the island over 60 years old.

Alderney has yet to administer any second doses, but has administered 700 doses, which is nearly half the population. Second jabs are being rolled out from this week.

Elsewhere, in Herm, a ban has stopped all visiting boats from stepping foot on the island.

The relationship between Guernsey and its neighbours was celebrated during the latest media briefing, as an example of us all working together to beat back infections in the Bailiwick.

“We’ve had a really close working relationship with Alderney and Sark,” said Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink. "Both islands have a major input – we speak to them on a regular basis.”