Covid cases down into double figures

Friday 19 February 2021

Active cases of Covid-19 have fallen below 100, as the move to Stage 1 of our exit strategy approaches.

There are now 88 known active cases following a day that saw 20 people recover and two people test positive. One is a contact of a known case, while the other was from planned workforce screening and is not directly linked to a known source.

There are now just two people in hospital with the virus. Further updates are expected at today's briefing - which takes places at 13:00 - where the Civil Contingencies Authority will discuss the island's planned move to Stage 1 of its exit from lockdown strategy on Monday. 

Active case numbers peaked at 366 last Monday and have been decreasing since, as the effect of lockdown measures began to clamp down on the spread of the virus. 

Cases from unknown community sources have slowed to a trickle, however concerns remains that a small number of cases continue to be detected that have no obvious link to known cases. 

The States has increased its surveillance testing in the days before Stage 1 in order to enhance screening of essential workers in public-facing roles.

Pictured: The latest Covid-19 test results. 

Preparations for Stage 1 are expected to dominate discussions at this afternoon's briefing, with some groups and businesses seeking further clarification on what it means for them. 

Households will once again be able to 'bubble' together, non-public facing businesses will be able to partially reopen, and takeaways will be back on the menu.

The Bailiwick has been locked down now for four weeks - since  Saturday 23 January - after four cases of Covid-19 from unknown community sources were identified and the UK variant of the virus was found to have spread through the island.