WATCH: Jersey's key travel dates confirmed

Sunday 21 March 2021

Jersey's Government has confirmed the key dates in its plan to re-open the island's borders to travel, which align broadly with Guernsey's own proposals, but with some notable differences.

Currently, anyone arriving in Jersey is treated as having come from a ‘red’ zone and must quarantine for at least 10 days and return three negative tests.

But from 26 April, a ‘traffic light’ system will apply to anyone entering Jersey from the British Isles. 

The UK will once again be split into regional tiers. Based on current prevalence rates, there would be 65 green areas (including Guernsey), 190 amber areas and 126 red areas, though these are likely to change before 26 April. All other countries, including Ireland and mainland Europe, will remain ‘red’.

Anyone arriving from Guernsey, for example, would have to provide their travel history in advance, undertake an on-arrival PCR test, plus further tests on days 5 and 10, if they stayed that long. Travellers would have to isolate until they receive a negative result from their border test. 

The proposals are broadly comparable to 'Category 2' of Guernsey's own plans to relax restrictions for certain, low-prevalence jurisdictions on 30 April. 

Pictured: The next stage of Jersey's travel plans appear to align with the region-by-region classifications proposed by Guernsey's Civil Contingencies Authority. 

However, it is worth noting that Jersey's threshold for a ‘green’ jurisdiction is more liberal than the one proposed for the Bailiwick.

The threshold in Jersey is up to 50 cases per 100,000, compared to 30 cases per 100,000 in Guernsey.

Jersey's Government is also basing its calculations on a 14-day snapshot, while our CCA is basing it on a 7-day snapshot.

From 17 May - the same date that people in England will be allowed to go on holiday again - Jersey will begin applying the traffic light system to all jurisdictions, minus those on the UK’s ‘banned’ list.

So-called vaccine passports do not currently feature in the plans, but officials said they may feature in proposals for the summer period, which will also involve reconsideration of the viability of the 'three-test' regime. Those more detailed plans about wider travel relaxations are yet to be set out. 

Pictured: Vaccine passports do not feature in Jersey's spring travel plans, but may feature in those for summer.

That represents another point of difference, as the CCA has fleshed out its plans for a summer re-opening, depending on what the situation is at the time. 

On 1 July,  it is expected - but not set in stone - that Guernsey's borders can re-open, either completely or with just a pre-travel test or test on arrival required. 

"The Bailiwick Blueprint is based on a reasonable ‘best case scenario’," said Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink.

"It might not be achieved if there are any emerging public health concerns such as vaccine resistant variants in neighbouring jurisdictions." 

Video: The changes were announced at a press conference by the Government of Jersey.