Jersey government to ramp up testing as pupils return to school

Jersey's government has revealed plans to ramp up coronavirus testing for students and teachers returning to the classroom in September.

All staff will be offered a PCR test before the term begins and are encouraged to book themselves in as soon as possible by calling 0800 735 556.

Separately, they will be invited to take lateral flow tests twice a week until further notice from the Government of Jersey.

In addition, lateral flow tests will be extended to secondary school students who, like staff members, will be asked to check themselves for the virus twice every seven days.

Class bubbles will no longer apply when pupils are outside their school building and assemblies will be only permitted to take place if they are wrapped up in 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, from 6 September, any student or staff member who is a direct contact of a positive coronavirus case will be stopped from attending school until they have received a negative PCR test.

Measures in place during the last academic year which will continue:

  • Secondary school students (and teaching staff in all settings) are still advised to wear masks when moving around communal areas. 

  • Students, who are aged 11 and over, will still need to wear a mouth or nose covering on school buses.  

  • All adults in school are still required to observe two metre physical distancing wherever possible and maintain at least one metre physical distancing.

  • All spaces in these settings will continue to be well-ventilated. 

The Government insists the measures are necessary following a steep rise in cases of the highly-contagious Delta variant of coronavirus in schools at the end of the summer term.

Deputy Medical Officer of Health Dr Ivan Muscat is urging 16 and 17-year-olds to book their coronavirus vaccine in before the start of term in order to prevent cases from once again spreading to the most vulnerable and driving up hospital admissions.

The measures for preventing the spread in schools will be reviewed "during the autumn".