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Sark is marking the 75th anniversary of its Liberation today, with small garden parties allowed after lockdown restrictions were further relaxed ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
The island was liberated a day after Guernsey, when British forces landed on the island and met with Dame Sybil Hathaway.
While the end of the Second World War was declared on VE Day, 8 May 1945, the German Commandant in the Bailiwick did not formally relinquish the islands until HMS Bulldog arrived early in the morning of 9 May, before travelling to Sark on 10 May, 1945.
A number of people who were in Sark for the Occupation and the Liberation are still living in the island today, including members of the Guille, Baker, Adams and Perree families. They would have been partaking in public events today to mark 75 years of freedom, but instead smaller private events are now being held.
The Sark Pandemic Emergency Committee has liaised with the Civil Contingencies Authority, which is based in Guernsey but is overseeing the entire Bailiwick's response to the covid-19 pandemic, to ensure the lockdown measures are proportional for Sark.
The latest testing results have shown there have been no positive tests in Guernsey for nine consecutive days, and there have been no positive tests at all to date from residents in Sark.
As Sark remains corona virus free, residents are allowed six hours outside their home each day, and family and friends are allowed to gather in a private garden - providing there are no more than six people together.
The Sark Pandemic Emergency Committee issued a statement on Friday thanking all residents "for their continuing support in preventing the spread of covid-19," while reminding them "the overall message has not changed, we must minimise contact between households as far as possible and stay at home".
Sark's committee has liaised with Dr Nicola Brink in Guernsey and the Health & Social Care Committee and has agreed to increase recreation time to six hours each day. "This can be used for several outings provided the total time spent outside the home is not more than six hours in total," said the statement, which also clarified the number of guests each household is allowed in their garden.
"You are now allowed to visit friends and family in their garden, provided that there are not more than six people in the garden at any one time, including yourself.
"If your bubble is larger than six people, including yourself, then you may not have any additional people in your garden whilst within the bubble. If people from your bubble leave then you can have others visit, but no more than six people, including yourself in the garden at any one time.
"If food is consumed then visitors must provide their own food and utensils. No-one must enter the house, unless they are within that specific bubble."
The PEC statement said it meets with Dr Brink and the Guernsey authorities on a weekly basis and continue to work towards phase three, which, as long as the current situation continues and Guernsey’s results support this, will allow takeaways to reopen.
"We understand that residents are concerned regarding food shopping, this is under constant review and we hope to put a proposal to Dr Brink at our next meeting.
"Once again, the Committee would like to thank Sark residents for their continued co-operation and understanding as we move through this pandemic."
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