Guernsey could adopt shorter isolation time

Sunday 21 June 2020

Changes to travel restrictions could be on the cards for Guernsey, with Public Health looking into a shorter isolation period while discussions are continuing about an 'air bridge' with the Isle of Man.

Nothing has been confirmed yet and no time frame has been put on the plans, but the recent arrival of a new piece of testing kit has given the island greater scope when it comes to travel.

The big platform extractor has ramped up the number of samples Public Health can extract to 96 in just 90 minutes, which would allow more opportunity to test people who arrive in the island.

"From our perspective, it's really important that we look at the evidence," said Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink. "If you test on the day of arrival, you will miss 100% of people that were infected during that transit process.

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Pictured: Covid-19 testing.

"We’re looking at the the international evidence on where people become positive in the 14 day incubation period of the virus. What we’ve shown - and it has been peer reviewed - is that we’ll detect about 80% of cases by day seven.

"The question we’re asking ourselves now is 'can we integrate it into possibly shortening that compulsory self isolation period?'. We need to look at this in more detail."

Public Health's decision will be based on both quantitative and qualitative data, so the team is taking into account the public's view on self isolation as well as the numbers.

If the changes were to be agreed, anyone who travelled into the island would be required to self isolate for seven days instead of 14. They would be tested at the end of the week and would only be released if that test came back negative.

"Even if we were to go with that sort of programme with a day seven test and a release on a negative result, what we’d be saying to people between their negative result and day 14 is to have a low threshold to seek testing," Dr Brink explained. "We’d be saying 'go about your business but don’t go to large crowded areas' and so on.

Pictured: The States are in communications with the Isle of Man.

"I trust our community. Our community has been magnificent in its response and I think people will respond if they see that we’re trying to use our technology to improve things for the whole population of Guernsey."

But, it is possible that Guernsey residents may soon be able to travel to the Isle of Man without such strict self isolation rules.

"We've had some discussion with the Isle of Man about a possible air bridge with them, seeing as they also have no cases and a very similar strategy and approach to our own," added Deputy Gavin St Pier. "There are lots of potential benefits and demonstrating progress for both islands is good for the populations’ moral, so I can see advantages."

However, conversations are still ongoing and it is likely we will have to wait a while before any announcements are made.