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States ramps up testing of essential workers

States ramps up testing of essential workers

Monday 01 February 2021

States ramps up testing of essential workers

Monday 01 February 2021


A "small number" of positive cases have been linked to the St Sampson's Co-op Grande Marché, as overall case numbers increased to 231.

Upon discovering the link through contact tracing, the States and the Co-op closed the store with immediate effect yesterday, so that the premises could be deep cleaned and all staff tested for Covid-19.

We are told that customers of the store do not need to self-isolate unless they are directly contacted by the Contact Tracing Team.

Public Health said: "They [customers] should continue to follow lockdown rules and stay at home, only leaving for essential reasons and they should report any symptoms to the clinical helpline on 01481 756938 or 01481 756969."

It has not yet been made clear when the positive cases were at the store.

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Pictured: Case numbers have been updated today, showing that there are now 231 known active cases and five people in hospital.

The testing facilities at the East Arm - which were originally set up to swab arrivals at the harbour - are now being used to test essential workers in "a range of critical areas", with supermarket workers and ports staff among those tested there yesterday. 

A spokesman for the States said they are looking to do more targeted testing, so that essential workers in mandatory self-isolate are able to return to work if cleared to do so. 

"Significant numbers of people across the community are also being asked to self-isolate for different reasons," said a spokesman for the States.

"Some because they have been directly in contact with a positive case and contact traced by the Contact Tracing team, and others because they attended one of several specific events such as the Festival of Dance, where Public Health have asked all those who attended to self-isolate.

"To support some of the essential services impacted by the self-isolation measures for those wider groups linked to events, the States of Guernsey are working to put in place support through targeted testing to allow staff to continue working where it is appropriate to do so."

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