Coronavirus: Guernsey to lift nearly all lockdown restrictions

Pubs, restaurants, shops and other businesses will be able to operate as they did before the lockdown

Lockdown restrictions in Guernsey will be lifted from 20 June, though border controls will continue, the States has announced.

Phase five of lockdown exit, nicknamed the "Bailiwick bubble", is a return to near-normality for the islands.

There will be no requirement for social distancing, meaning pubs, restaurants and other businesses will be allowed to operate at full capacity.

However, the 14-day mandatory quarantine for arrivals will remain.

The move comes after 42 days without a new case of coronavirus.

The only restrictions that remain are the need to self-isolate in specific circumstances.

'Before lockdown began'

There will be no limits on the size of gatherings and or requirements for businesses to take records of who comes into their premises.

Contact sport can be played once more, making Guernsey the first place in Britain to permit games of football, rugby and netball.

Children's extracurricular activities can resume and indoor play areas, public venues and nightclubs are also allowed to to reopen.

Making the announcement, Heidi Soulsby, President of the Committee for Health and Social Care, thanked islanders for their work to reach the current position.

"We are, in effect, where we were before lockdown began," Deputy Soulsby said.

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink described the move to phase five as the "new normal".

She said an "extensive" community testing programme had shown "no evidence" of Covid-19 in Guernsey.

Addressing border controls, Dr Brink said they could not be lifted because of "ongoing viral activity" in the UK, France and Jersey.

"As we open the Bailiwick we're massively increasing the number of contacts around the Bailiwick, and that's really important for us to consider", she added.