With effect from 13th January, taking a day-of-arrival Covid-19 swab will now be essential, along with a day 13 test carried out at the drive through testing centre, in order for passengers to secure early release from the mandatory 21 days of self-isolation on, or around, day 14.
In making this decision at its meeting yesterday, Guernsey’s Civil Contingencies Authority (CCA) considered the increasing prevalence rates of COVID-19 in our near neighbours, the transmission rates of the new variants of Covid-19 and the measures introduced regarding essential travel into the Bailiwick.
Children under 12, will continue to only need a negative test on day 13. If travellers are self-isolating in a bubble with family or friends, all non-travellers will also need a negative day 13 test in order to qualify for early release from self-isolation.
There is no change for travellers who are coming to the Bailiwick as critical workers, who will still need to comply with their specific self-isolation and testing requirements.
Dr Nicola Brink, Director of Public Health said: “Asking people to take a test on arrival and on day 13 of their self-isolation enables us to pick up all travellers who are COVID-19 positive on arrival (and who are asymptomatic), as well as late presenting infections at day 13. The day 1 test is also beneficial for track and trace purposes should this be needed. Asking people to have both tests in order to leave self-isolation on day 14 rather than day 21 protects the Bailiwick as we continue to fight this pandemic”.
Deputy Peter Ferbrache, Chair of the CCA said: “As I said at the media briefing on Friday 8 January, we have put in place measures to ban all non-essential travel into the Bailiwick. Those who must travel for critical or essential reasons need to work with us to protect the Bailiwick from COVID-19. Asking travellers to have a negative day 1 AND day 13 test result is a belt and braces approach to pick up early and late presenting infections”.
