However, LFTs will still be used in vulnerable settings such as the hospital, care homes, and the prison, with healthcare staff who work closely with vulnerable people continuing to have access to free tests if they are symptomatic.
Guernsey’s Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink, explained that covid-19 will now be dealt with in the same way as any other respiratory illness.
She said: “This further de-escalation of our testing strategy has been part of our on-going planning and has been made possible by the significant progress we have made as a Bailiwick in living responsibly with covid-19.”
Pictured: Guernsey’s Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink.
Dr Brink continued: “We’re now managing covid-19 in line with how we manage other respiratory tract infections. This shows how well islanders have adapted and how embedded Covid-19 guidance is among the community.
“As individuals we don’t self-test for other respiratory virus infections, we naturally stay at home if unwell and seek advice and treatment from our GP if needed. It is important that our ongoing management of Covid-19 aligns with those same principles going forward.
“We need a sustainable and long-term plan for Covid-19 testing and the changes we will be implementing on 3 April supports directing our available services to those most at risk.”
When asked if Jersey would be following Guernsey’s lead in ending free community tests, the government confirmed that there will be an update from Public Health about LFTs on Thursday.
Government-provided PCR testing in Jersey ended at the Airport Testing Centre in January, but LFT kits have remained free to order online since.
In January, Express also reported that the Government had put out a tender for up to 350,000 more LFT kits with Jersey’s Public Health Director Professor Peter Bradley confirming that there were “no current plans to introduce a charge for LFTs.”