Jersey's borders to reopen this week
Jersey’s borders will reopen this Friday (3 July).
The decision was made after a day of debate and a landmark vote in the States Assembly, where strongly held views both for and against the move were aired.
The outcome, voted through by 37 to 12, means passengers arriving by air or sea into Jersey will have the option of taking a test to see if they currently have coronavirus, instead of the mandatory 14 days of quarantine.
Those being tested, which will be free until at least the end of August, will not have to isolate while they await their results which should take 24 to 48 hours to arrive, with the aim of reducing that to 12 hours by the end of July.
Senator Ian Gorst, representing the government in the debate, argued it was time to learn to live with Covid-19 while following the advice of medical experts.
It coincided with the release of a government video in which Medical Officer for Health Dr Susan Turnbull recommended opening the borders.
Among those opposing the plan was the Environment Minister, Deputy John Young.
Senator Kristina Moore brought forward an amendment to the debate to delay opening the borders by a week and to force those being tested to isolate while their results are processed.
St Helier No.3/4 Deputy Inna Gardiner agreed. But the Home Affairs Minister, Constable Len Norman, argued now was the time to open up.
An earlier amendment from Deputy Rob Ward, obliging arriving passengers to stay in contact with the contact tracing team for the first 14 days of their visit was accepted by the Council of Ministers without any need to debate the suggestion.
Construction work on a new testing centre at the Elizabeth Harbour terminal is now underway, while preparations have been made at Jersey Airport ahead of Friday’s changes.