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An administrative error resulted in 17 Guernsey people receiving a letter telling them they had covid-19, when they should have been informed that they were a contact of someone who had tested positive.
Public Health re-issued the correct letters yesterday and called the 17 individuals to explain the error and to apologise for the upset that this may have caused.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, one of Public Health’s many roles has been to support and advise people who have tested positive for the virus," said a spokesperson for the island's Health Department.
"The team know from their first-hand experience how distressing such news can be and apologise sincerely to all of those who have been wrongly given such information today as a result of this mistake.
"To be clear, no one will receive a letter confirming they have tested positive for covid-19 and are subject to mandatory quarantine without having first received a telephone call from a Public Health Services clinician."
There are currently three active cases of the virus in Guernsey.
The island is looking to set up a border testing facility, like Jersey, but is still awaiting equipment.
The island's Chief Minister and head of its emergency committee Deputy Gavin St Pier previously said that the necessary equipment was delayed by the manufacturer, and that the next phase of exit from lockdown wouldn't be possible until it had arrived.
However, it has now been confirmed that several pieces of that equipment have already arrived, while others are expected shortly.
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