Updated isolation advice is being published for Islanders who have been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, as well as those who are confirmed as having the virus or classed as symptomatic.
The guidance, which has been updated in line with medical advice as the Government prepares for an increase in contact tracing, outlines different scenarios where Islanders should isolate and offers advice based on the risks associated with each scenario.
The Government of Jersey is publishing the updated advice as part of the Safe Exit Framework and as a result of the expansion of the Test and Trace Programme, which will increase both the swab testing to establish whether someone currently has the virus currently and the fingerprick antibody test to establish whether someone has had the virus previously. Thousands more Islanders will be tested in the coming weeks.
Guidance for a variety of scenarios is available in the Public Health Guidance section on gov.je.
The Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Ivan Muscat, said: “Isolation to reduce the risk of infection is an important part of our response to Covid-19. But this needs to be applied to a number of different scenarios and we need to adapt our guidelines accordingly.
“We have made some changes to the guidance to make it as consistent as possible, but there are important differences between each set of guidance based on the level of risk associated. It is important that you follow guidance that is right for your circumstances. The effective containment of the virus is critical to ensure our safe exit from the pandemic.”
There is dedicated advice for health care workers, who may be asked to return to work in certain circumstances, for example if they are living with someone who is symptomatic but has not tested positive. However, this guidance will only be followed in circumstances where it is deemed absolutely necessary and will only be applied if it is essential to ensure the continued safe running of services. In such cases, strict measures will be in place to support the member of staff.
Chief Nurse Rose Naylor said: “We welcome the clarity that this policy provides for Islanders which, of course, includes a number of people who work in healthcare. It also offers an exemption in exceptional circumstances that enables a health care worker to return to the workplace working under specific conditions. This exemption would only be considered on the balance of risk to service delivery and after all other options are explored with the employer.”
Government of Jersey News Release.