Jersey hits zero known covid cases

Wednesday 01 July 2020

Jersey no longer has any known active cases of covid-19 – with our sister island's government today debating opening up its borders to visitors.

Testing data released yesterday afternoon showed there has only been one positive result in Jersey over the last seven days, with the most recent individuals to have contracted the illness now showing no symptoms.

Those patients were detected via planned screening of essential workers. 

Nearly 10,900 Covid-19 tests have been conducted on people in Jersey in total, with 319 returning a positive result, compared to 252 positive cases recorded in Guernsey between March and May, out of a total of 6,065 tests carried out so far. 

Pictured: Guernsey's corona virus data as at 09:00 Wednesday 1 July. 

Of the 252 positive cases of Covid-19 recorded in Guernsey, 238 people have now recovered. 13 people are confirmed to have died after testing positive for the virus, while three other deaths are presumed to have also been linked with the pandemic. 

The first positive test result in Guernsey was recorded on 9 March. There have been no new cases confirmed for 61 days, and there have been no active cases of corona virus detected in Guernsey for more than a month. 

None of the other islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey recorded any cases of corona virus during the pandemic, so far. Tests are still being carried out on a daily basis. 

Pictured: News of Jersey's recorded covid-19 cases dropping to zero comes ahead of a major debate on travel today.

News of Jersey's recorded cases dropping to zero comes ahead of a States Assembly debate today over whether the island should reopen its borders to travel.

Jersey's Ministers are proposing to reintroduce commercial travel gradually from Friday (3 July), with all passengers tested on arrival. If they test positive for the virus, they will be asked to enter self-isolation for 14 days.

However, following questions from Express at Friday’s press conference, it emerged that not all of the testing plans had been finalised. In the wake of the plans' release, some people expressed concerns about more passengers flying from the UK where the number of virus cases remains high.

A group of backbenchers has since put forward plans to delay the reopening by a week. They are also asking the Government to define and monitor a list of ‘safe countries’ for travel based on their R number and testing regime.   

Even if Jersey's States vote to allow travel from this Friday, or next week, inter island travel between the Bailiwicks won't be allowed as neither Aurigny or Blue Island are currently flying between Guernsey and Jersey.

Condor is running a passenger ferry service into Guernsey next week as part of a trial organised by the States of Guernsey to test incoming passengers after seven days of self isolation. If they test negative for Covid-19 they can then go out, with social distancing restrictions, from day eight, rather than isolate for 14-days.

A decision will be made on Guernsey's isolation period for incoming passengers once the data collated during the one week trial has been assessed.

Pictured top: Testing continues across the Channel Islands to trace any cases of Covid-19.