Islanders in Guernsey told to stay home if unwell
People in Guernsey are being told to stay home when they are unwell.
This comes as the Bailiwick is due to drop the mandatory requirement to isolate from tomorrow (17 February).
Islanders are being asked to ingrain the concept of staying at home when unwell into the Bailiwick's culture, to avoid any further disruption of Covid outbreaks.
Businesses are being asked to encourage staff to stay home if they are unwell or tested positive for coronavirus, and not come into the workplace.
All border restrictions for Guernsey will also end on 17 February.
A government spokesperson has said: "It is important that the whole community recognises that Covid has not gone away and the need for vigilance has not disappeared.
"This is particularly the case when it comes to positive cases, who are still expected to isolate even without the legal requirement."
Public Health are still strongly recommending islanders that any positive cases should isolate until they receive a negative lateral flow result on consecutive days following day five or complete 10 days of isolation, whichever is sooner.
Other measures continuing to be recommended by Public Health are:
Continuation of the COVID-19 vaccination and boosting programme.
Continued availability of testing and encouraging people to notifying their positive LFT results through the current online platform or by calling the COVID helpline.
Promotion of good ventilation.
Respect people’s personal space.
Respiratory etiquette (catch it, bin it, kill it) and hand hygiene (wash your hands).
Consider wearing a mask in an enclosed indoor space where social distancing is not possible.
Dr Nicola Brink, Director of Public Health, said: "As we move forward into a new phase without legal restrictions in place, if we’re to maintain that positive position it is absolutely essential that islanders’ commitment to do the right thing is maintained – particularly around staying at home if unwell.
"We need this mantra to become part-and-parcel of our everyday culture, not just now but into the future.
"Making sensible and responsible decisions to stay at home and not spread your germs when you’re unwell needs to become the new norm. It needs to be socially unacceptable to put others at risk by going to work, events or anywhere where you’ll be in close proximity with other people, if you’re unwell."
Dr Brink wants to remind islanders to continue to think about vulnerable members of the community, by taking a LFT before visiting a vulnerable person or attending a crowded indoor gathering.
"Covid has not gone away - we still have more than 900 known active cases - so we need not just islanders but also employers to support this, as staying at home when unwell is simply the best mechanism to avoid outbreaks, and nobody wants to go backwards."