Changes made to Jersey's Covid isolation rules
ITV's Jess Dunsdon spoke to Jersey's Director of Public Health, Professor Peter Bradley
Jersey residents will be able to leave isolation earlier following changes to the island's coronavirus rules.
Effective immediately, fully vaccinated islanders can take a lateral flow test (LFT) from day 5 of isolation instead of day 6. Children 11 and under can also take LFTs from day 5.
Meanwhile non-fully vaccinated islanders can take a LFT from day 7.
People can leave isolation if:
They test negative two times in a row and 24 hours apart
They are symptom free
They have submitted their negative test results on the testing portal at gov.je
Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Richard Renouf, said: “The isolation policy requires a balance of harms approach, balancing the impact to society and the individual against the benefits of reduced transmission. As anticipated, the recent widespread community transmission because of the Omicron variant resulted in a large number of Islanders isolating.
“This immediate update to the isolation policy will mean that Islanders who meet the criteria are able to leave their isolation early, however, they are recommended to be cautious over the following days after leaving isolation." Deputy Medical Officer for Health, Dr Ivan Muscat, added: “Allowing Islanders to test themselves earlier in their isolation benefits both the health and wellbeing of individuals and the community as a whole.
“Current evidence shows that viral infection reduces quicker in those who are fully vaccinated, and the risk of spreading the virus to others is highest at the start of infection or just after the onset of infection."