Brittany designated a virus 'red' zone

Monday 20 July 2020

Jersey officials remain confident that the island's covid defences are "robust" following the news all five departments of the Brittany region - including Saint Malo - have been designated virus 'red' zones.

That colour coding is a result of the region's 'R', or virus reproduction, value reaching 2.62, which means it is actively spreading.

That is the highest value across the whole of France, which as a country carries an 'R' number of 1.18.

Anything over 1 suggests the virus is spreading, whereas if the number is less than 1, it means it will eventually peter out. The number is a measure of how many other people an infected person is likely to give the virus to. 

An 'R' value of 2.62 is similar to the value in Jersey at the peak of the pandemic, back in March. 

Pictured: a Government of Jersey graphic showing the 'R' value earlier in the pandemic.

On Friday, sailings between Jersey and Saint Malo began again, after talks were held to resolve a dispute in Saint Malo. The route had been suspended since March due to the pandemic.

Condor had originally aimed to start sailings earlier this month, but had been held up by striking stevedores.

Elwyn Dop, the ferry provider's Operations Director commented: "It has been, and still is, a really challenging time for us without any French services since March, so we are delighted we can commence our first high speed sailing to Saint Malo to coincide with the start of the school summer holidays."

He added: "We are grateful to the Government of Jersey for confirming a re-opening of the borders a couple of weeks’ ago so Condor can now start to support the Island’s tourism economy and provide travel options for Islanders."

All passengers will be required to wear a face covering as a safety measure.

Pictured: Jersey travellers in France are being told to wear masks in public places. 

Other covid-19 protocols include self-service for food and beverage, the installation of protective screens, contactless payments and an enhanced hygiene procedure.

Speaking on Friday, a government spokesman reiterated that Jersey's protections against corona virus were "robust".

"Jersey’s traveller testing regime is one of the most robust in Europe. We test passengers arriving in Jersey, and track and trace the contacts of those who test positive for covid-19.

“France is currently classified as green, but categorisations and requirements are subject to change on a regular basis.”

They reminded all local travellers to follow French rules once they land in Saint Malo, include wearing masks in public places.