New Covid restrictions: Mandatory masks and increased testing at Guernsey's border

Mandatory mask wearing and increased border testing will be introduced in Guernsey following the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant.

The new restrictions will come in from Wednesday. Full details of where people will have to wear masks will be announced tomorrow (Tuesday 30 November).

People are already being strongly urged to wear face coverings in settings where there are crowds, where it is hard to physically distance and where there is poor ventilation.

New travel requirements

From Wednesday (December 1) there will also be a new testing regime at the border. Those who are double vaccinated coming from outside the Common Travel Area (CTA) will have to have a PCR test and isolate until they receive a negative result.

People coming from outside the CTA who are not fully vaccinated will still need to complete a PCR test the day they arrive and on day eight, and will have to isolate until they receive their second negative result.

People who have come from within the CTA will have to buy lateral flow tests at the border for £25, and take a test for the following 10 days.

People coming from red list countries will still need to have a PCR test on arrival, regardless of their vaccination status, and another on day nine. They will have to isolate until they get their second negative result.

Contact tracing and isolation

People who are identified as close contacts of a confirmed or suspected case of the Omicron Covid variant will need to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of their age and vaccination status.

They can come out of isolation if it is confirmed the case they were in contact with has the Delta variant or other lineage.