End of covid isolation decision 'in next few days'

Wednesday 20 April 2022

Ministers will be meeting in the next few days to decide if covid mandatory isolation is extended beyond the end of April, Express has learned.

At the moment, anyone who tests positive for covid is legally bound to isolate at home for at least six days and up to 10.

Originally, the Government planned to end mandatory isolation at the end of last month but this was pushed back on 18 March because of the more transmissible BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron and cases still being above 2,400 at the time.

Today, a Government spokesperson told Express: “Having extended the legal isolation requirement last month, Competent Authority Ministers will be reviewing this position in the coming days based on the latest public health intelligence.”

Pictured: The Competent Authority Ministers, who are legally in charge of emergency decision-making - Senators Ian Gorst (External Relations), Lyndon Farnham (Economic Development), John Le Fondré (Chief Minister), and Deputies Richard Renouf (Health), Kevin Lewis (Infrastructure), and Gregory Guida (Home Affairs Minister).

There are currently 756 known positive cases in the island, with 18 islanders in hospital with the virus.

There have been 49,103 cases in Jersey in total since the first confirmed case on 10 March 2020, an average of 63.3 cases a day.

The end of required isolation is one of the final stages of the Government’s ‘de-escalation strategy’ to wind down covid rules.

However, the States Assembly recently agreed to extend its powers to set covid regulations until the end of this year. 

There are currently 18 active cases in hospital and 756 on the Island. There have been 459 new cases and 660 recoveries since 14 April.

More information: https://t.co/Maitmwkwf2. pic.twitter.com/V4wvAsJ3oz

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) April 19, 2022

The Covid ‘enabling law’ – which gives the Assembly as a whole, rather than ministers, the power to bring in restrictions without having to go to all the way to the Privy Council for Royal Assent - was due to expire on 1 August but it will now run out on 16 December, unless the next Assembly decides to extend it further.