“We hoped more regions would be in category 2 today, but they’re not”

Saturday 15 May 2021

Guernsey has undergone its most significant relaxation of border restrictions since the covid pandemic began - however it’s not quite as relaxed as the CCA originally planned for.

Most of the UK remains a category three region, with seven days and two negative tests required before people can leave self-isolation. It was hoped more regions would have dropped to category two, but this hasn’t been the case.

“We all expected that more regions in the UK would have dropped into category two by now,” said the Head of the Civil Contingencies Authority, Deputy Peter Ferbrache.

The categories are determined by prevalence per 100,000 calculated over a 14 day period. Category two regions require less than 30 cases per 100,000.

Pictured: As of today, travellers inbound from category two regions will only have to isolate for as long it takes to receive their first negative test result.

“[The falling prevalence] has slowed down, in some regions it has even begun to creep up again,” said Deputy Ferbrache.

“We’ve always caveated our predictions by saying that things do change. We hoped more regions would be in category two today, but they’re not. We can’t make up evidence and we’re not going to alter it.”

This followed strong words from the P&R President for people spreading "misinformation" and rumours about data being misinterpreted by Public Health. 

“We are responding to the claims that we have made up data or we are fudging it; it’s absolute bunkum, absolute nonsense,” he said.

Pictured: Predicted trends indicate categories should be dropping over the next few weeks.

Initially, there was concern that the placement of key ports and airports in category three regions would hamper any potential travel. 

The CCA revealed earlier this week, however, that Southampton Airport and the Poole and Portsmouth ports would have exemptions, allowing people to travel through them to category two regions and maintain reduced self-isolation requirements on their return.

The Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink, made some "brave" predictions about new category two regions next week.

“We predict that the South-East will go down below 30 per 100,000 if it follows the current trends, and nothing changes over the next week,” she said.

The CCA continues to work towards an almost complete removal of travel restrictions on 1 July, but this is still subject to change and there are no guarantees that the island will become restriction-free in time for the summer.