States developing “exit strategy” from lockdown

Friday 10 April 2020

At least 220 people have applied for unemployment benefits having lost their jobs because of the corona virus, as the States draws up a “lockdown exit strategy” to try to regenerate industries that have already experienced crushing blows and job losses.

Construction, hospitality and travel companies have been hit the hardest so far, with around 600 construction sector businesses alone having to seek financial support from the States.

The States' support schemes have not been enough to save all companies from going under though, and there have so far been 120 new people signed up to unemployment benefits recently and a further 100 awaiting the outcome of their applications.

States Chief Executive Paul Whitfield said difficult decisions will have to be made balancing short-term and longer-term economic needs.

"We’ll be talking more and more in the coming weeks about how we align our strategic thinking in terms of public health with our overall recovery and how we regenerate people back into the working economy and how can we do that.

 Pictured: Paul Whitfield said the construction sector had been hit the hardest so far.

"It’s going to take an awful lot of thinking through, we will have to apply thinking and logic to who should go first, and how do we make those decisions. The construction industry is a good example of a sector that is being hit very early on and, following public health guidelines, [we are looking at] how could we introduce a modicum of return to work in a safe way and still manage that curve."

Deputy Gavin St Pier said there will likely need to be a staged return to work for different sectors, with solo outdoor workers potentially the next group to see their restrictions lifted.

“We have announced financial packages to support continued employment in the medium term and to help businesses through their current cash flow problems, but we are also thinking ahead to the next wave of economic challenge we will face.

“We do not want livelihoods and businesses to be lost from experiencing overwhelming economic challenge. So I can reassure you that we are actively developing an exit strategy from lockdown and a recovery strategy for the economy, and it is likely to be staged. The pace at which we can unlock will be driven by the Bailiwick’s experience in managing covid-19 in which everyone can play their part by complying with the public health directions and hygiene advice and it will be driven by the evidence and the data, the quality of which is improving daily now that we have our own on-island testing.

"For example, the next stage could be in relation to solo outdoor workers and we’ll also need to make some decisions next week ahead of the scheduled start to the school term two weeks away on 21 April."

 Pictured top: Edward T Wheadon House.