Jersey’s tourism economy will be ‘severely impacted’ by the coronavirus outbreak, Senator Lyndon Farnham has said.
The island’s hospitality industry as been among the worst hit, and the deputy chief minister has expressed concern that some of Jersey’s luxury hotels might leave the island as a result of the crisis.
‘If we see a number of rooms going, that could dent the appetite of our air and sea carriers to provide us with the excellent connectability we’ve had for a small island in the future,’ he said.
‘If we don’t relax, safely, border controls in the not too distant future, to keep the sector as it is, we’ll need significant fiscal support, taxpayer support.’
Potential options include testing arriving passengers and using a mobile phone app to track movements. Senator Farnham also suggested the idea of an inter-island travel bubble – a concept currently in the early stages of discussion between the governments of both islands.
‘I think there’s an opportunity for Jersey and Guernsey to form their own ‘bubble’ for travel. We’ve got two islands which have been successful at containing the virus. We have very low levels of [COVID-19].’