PCR testing to end at Guernsey's border for arrivals from the Common Travel Area

  • Deputy Peter Ferbrache, Chair of Guernsey's Civil Contingencies Authority, talks about the need to continue good measures to prevent the spread of Covid

PCR testing at Guernsey's border will end for all passengers from within the Common Travel Area.

From 4 October, they will still need to buy a pack of lateral flow tests - but will not be asked to isolate, regardless of their vaccination status.

Restrictions will remain in place for passengers arriving from countries outside the Common Travel Area.

It was also confirmed that Guernsey's mass Covid booster vaccine programme should start within days and jabs will be rolled out to 12 to 15-year-olds.

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From Thursday 23 September:

  • Fully vaccinated arrivals who can prove they received either the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Janssen doses will face relaxed restrictions - regardless of where they were jabbed.

  • People who test positive for Covid will only have to isolate for ten days, rather than 14.

  • Changes to the rules around people identified as a contact of a positive case:

- Anyone aged 18 or under will not have to isolate, regardless of their vaccine status. They will have to take lateral flow tests.

- Anyone aged 19 or over who is fully vaccinated will not have to isolate. Instead, they need to take lateral flow tests and one PCR test.

- Anyone aged 19 or over who is not fully vaccinated has to isolate for ten days. They also need to take a PCR test and will be offered lateral flow tests.

This requirements may change in exceptional cases, as decided by Public Health.

From Monday 4 October:

  • All passengers from the Common Travel Area (the UK, Republic of Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man) will be treated as 'blue' arrivals - regardless of their vaccine status. This means they will not have to isolate and only need to buy and complete a course of lateral flow tests. There are no other restrictions.

  • People travelling directly from countries on the UK's red list without passing through the UK must take a self-swab PCR test on arrival. They then need to isolate until they receive a negative result from their second PCR test on day nine.

  • Passengers from countries on the UK's red list and going via the UK need to follow the UK's ten-day quarantine requirements before travelling onto Guernsey. They would then be classed as 'blue' arrivals.

  • For all other countries not on the UK's red list or in the Common Travel Area, travel rules depend on whether arrivals are fully vaccinated:

- Fully vaccinated passengers from all other countries need to take a self-swab PCR test on arrival but do not have to isolate.

- Unvaccinated travellers from all other countries must take a self-swab PCR test on arrival and isolate until a negative result from their second PCR test on day 8.

All arrivals must still complete the online travel tracker before arriving into Guernsey. This can be done in the 48 hours before travel. From 4 October, passenger travel history will be reduced from 14 to ten days.