Jess Dunsdon: I'm dreaming of a calm Christmas - some respite from communicating all things coronavirus

What a year! Never before in my career have I known a story which has been so divisive and all consuming. Since coronavirus washed up on Channel Island shores in early March, it has seeped into every part of everyone's lives.

Whether it's the infection itself damaging and stealing lives, or the resulting restrictions which have robbed people of their freedoms or livelihoods, everyone has been affected in some way. No one I know has escaped the consequences of Covid-19.

For us journalists, it has also been relentless. We are not just telling this story day in day out, we are living it too. Some have had the virus, others have serious health concerns about getting it. Some can no longer travel to see loved ones, others are denied the chance to say their final goodbyes. Some have partners whose businesses are struggling, others have partners whose business no longer exists. You see, we are all being affected by a story that we also have to report on and therefore remaining impartial and balanced is challenging, but absolutely vital. And I think we need to be very mindful about that.

In this regard, I do feel like a child stuck in a broken marriage as friends and acquaintances vent their (often opposing) frustrations to me in the (feckless) hope that I'll push their particular agenda in a public forum. One side is clamouring for a rapid lockdown; furious that Jersey's government hasn't enforced stronger restrictions sooner. The other is equally furious that the government is acting without notice or consultation; robbing them of their livelihoods and civil liberties and focusing all its attention on one illness. I'll give you two such examples from my inbox just this month.

It just goes to show how diametrically opposed people's views are on the government's handing of this pandemic. And that's not even touching upon decisions about schools!

Jersey's Chief Minister says he's trying to strike a balance between saving lives and saving livelihoods. But the very nature of that compromise means he will end up pleasing no one. It's THE definition of an impossible task. Everyone will have a preference for what strategy we should be following and it will almost certainly be guided by our own position on health, wealth and ethics.

Just look over the short stretch of water to Guernsey and how differently they've tackled the pandemic. They have successfully pursued an elimination strategy, by locking down hard and fast all they way back in March. It ultimately means they now don't have to balance saving lives versus saving livelihoods. They are reaping the economic rewards, as life and business is allowed to continue as normal within the Bailiwick. The trade off, of course, is their lack of freedom at the border. With a two to three week isolation requirement, it makes travelling in and out of the island practically impossible. I guess the eventual toll it takes on the hospitality and tourism industry will be the measure of whether islanders feel the restrictions will have been worth it.

Meanwhile, Jersey's government did not deem such tight border controls worth it. They did not choose to pursue an elimination strategy in March, when it took two weeks to enter lockdown after the virus first entered the island. And they did not choose it in May when they rejected Deputy Jess Perchard's elimination proposition. Even as eradicating Covid-19 became more easily achievable in the summer, when cases were low, the island chose to keep its borders open and attempt to recoup economic losses. The ministers plumped for a 'control and suppress' strategy, saying 'we have to learn to live alongside the virus.'

But you have to ask how well the island has controlled the situation and indeed how well its communicated the plan. At no point have we had clear parameters about what it would take to put the island into lockdown again. Is it based on case numbers? Deaths? The R rate? Hospital numbers? Oxygen flow capacity? Community seeding? When I asked the Chief Minister at an IOD lunch on 23 Nov, he said there was no one defining factor and that he'd continue to follow the scientific advice.

There have been serious concerns expressed throughout the year about how much 'risk' the government has been willing to tolerate. When we opened up our borders back in July, backbench politicians were worried about the ability of travellers from ‘green’ countries to roam freely without isolation, before receiving their test results. This was in fact allowed to continue until mid October, well after cases in the UK and Europe had begun escalating again.

Even when Jersey government's own data showed that towards the end of October, there were already eight cases or clusters with an unknown source, there was no suggestion of greater restrictions to stop people travelling over half term, or restrictions in hospitality to prevent big Halloween and bonfire parties. It seems that it's only as we near a thousand positive cases, dozens in hospital and care homes and eight deaths, that islanders seem to be taking the situation seriously.

Of course, I am also acutely aware of those who feel Jersey's government is taking the situation too seriously and putting too much emphasis on this one illness. Those who think the island is too restrictive; abusing its power by using 'medical tyranny' to whip away their civil rights and ruin the economy. They point to the unreported lives lost to the restrictions imposed. The suicide rate which won't be published until next year. Or reports of an increase in cot death during the first lockdown (something I'm still waiting for official answers on).

And what about the cancers and other diseases insidiously growing inside people who were too afraid of Covid-19 to get screened or checked? The ever growing obesity crisis worsening due to shut gyms, the sedentary nature of home working and increased childcare? What will be the long term effect on rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes? And the mental scars for those trapped in an abusive relationship during lockdown? It's easy to tally current coronavirus stats, but harder to quantify deaths or health problems being stored up for the future and directly link them back to now.

Everyone is entitled to their view on how their government has handled the pandemic. And while my journalistic code means I can't give you mine, I can give you the facts and arguments to help shape yours. I will say this though. If you don't like how Jersey's government has managed the events of 2020, rather than rant on social media, get off your device and into the voting booth in 2022. It'll be a more productive use of your time and fewer toxic comments for us to read on social media.

And do remember, that ministers are not SOLELY to blame for the rise in coronavirus case numbers. They don't walk around sprinkling it on islanders like fairy dust. We know what to do to help stem the spread and we are responsible for the individual part we play too.

So after a relentless 2020, my one wish for 2021 is more calm in our world. The last thing we need in this crisis is hysteria. Let's hold on to the beacon of hope that is the vaccine and in the meantime control what we can. Stay apart indoors, see each other outdoors, stay safe, try to stay sane and for goodness sake people, keep washing those hands!

I wish you a quiet, calm Christmas for 2020, to give others a chance to be around to enjoy theirs in 2021.