Sharp rise in care home covid cases

Friday 11 December 2020

There are now 19 individuals with covid in local care homes.

The increase, which is around five times the figure for yesterday, was reported in the statistics released by the Government this evening.

Express has asked the Government whether these are linked to an outbreak at one care home or multiple homes and is awaiting a response.

There are now 667 individuals recorded as having the virus in Jersey. 

In the past 24 hours, 45 individuals have recovered from covid-19, while 82 new individuals have tested positive - the majority were seeking healthcare (25) or identified via planned workforce screening (24).

The number of active cases in the Island is 667.
395 cases are symptomatic and 272 cases are asymptomatic. 24 are in hospital (-1).

Total Tests
199,271negative tests (+1,750)
1,637 confirmed positive (+82)
946 confirmed recovered (+45)
461 pending

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) December 11, 2020

Of those, 24 are in hospital, 19 in care homes and 624 in the community. 

Residents of local care homes are due to be first in line to receive the vaccine, which will be rolled out from Monday. In advance, care homes were asked to shut their doors to visitors.

Earlier this evening, the Government confirmed that three classes at special educational needs school Mont à l’Abbé were isolating after a member of staff tested positive for covid-19. 

A “small number of students” from Beaulieu were also collected from school today and asked to isolate following a staff member testing positive. 

Members of staff from De La Salle and St. Clement’s School have also tested positive, but have not recently attended school, so it was decided that no further action would be taken by the contact tracing team. 

Due to a high number of support staff being absent, St. Luke’s School Nursery will close for the last week of term. 

The Government also announced that a student from Grainville School had tested positive. As the student had not been at school for “a number of days”, the contact tracing team decided to take no further action. 

Yesterday, States Members voted against closing schools early following calls from unions concerned about the wellbeing of teachers and support staff.