Over 65s and vulnerable islanders in Jersey to be put in lockdown

  • Channel

Jersey’s government has issued further measures for people to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

The advice is targetted at two groups:

  • Islanders aged 65 and over, and people with ‘less severe’ underlying medical conditions

  • Those with medical conditions that put them at ‘severe risk’ from Covid-19

Islanders aged 65 and over, and people with ‘less severe’ underlying medical conditions

‘Less severe’ medical conditions are:

  • Less severe respiratory conditions.

  • Chronic heart disease, such as heart failure.

  • Chronic kidney disease, such as kidney failure.

  • Chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis.

  • Chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease,motor neuron disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS)

  • A learning disability or cerebral palsy.

  • Diabetes type 1 or type 2 requiring insulin or oral hypoglycaemic drugs or diet-controlled problems with your spleen, for example, sickle cell disease.

  • If you have had your spleen removed.

  • Those who are pregnant.

From midnight, Islanders aged 65 and over, and people with ‘less severe’ underlying medical conditions, should only leave their homes for a total of two hours per day and in the following limited circumstances.

These groups are advised to:

  • Only leave the house to shop for necessities, such as food and medicine, which must be as infrequently as possible

  • Only leave the house for daily exercise. This can include walking, cycling, running, sea swimming or other open sea activities, provided you maintain social distancing from everyone elsefor medical reasons.

  • Only leave the house if you are advised to do so by a healthcare worker or required to do so having called 999.

People with medical conditions that put them at ‘severe risk’ from Covid-19

Severe risk’ medical conditions are:

  • Solid organ transplant recipients

  • People with specific cancers

  • People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer

  • People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment

  • People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer

  • People having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors

  • People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immuno suppression drugs

  • People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD.

  • People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell).

  • People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection.

  • Women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.

Islanders with medical conditions that put them at ‘severe risk’ from Covid-19 are advised to ‘home isolate’.

This includes Islanders with certain cancers, severe respiratory conditions such as severe asthma, those on medications that significantly affect their immune system, and pregnant women with underlying heart disease.

These groups are advised to:

  • Strictly avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough.

  • Do not leave your house.

  • Do not attend any gatherings. This includes gatherings of friends and families in private spaces for example family homes, weddings and religious services.

  • Do not go out for shopping, work, leisure or travelWhen arranging food or medication deliveries, these should be left at the door to minimise contact.

  • People in home isolation should keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media.

Deputy Richard Renouf, the Health Minister, made the announcement today.

People with certain cancers and respiratory diseases are included in the list of those who should isolate in their homes.