Guernsey schools to begin phased reopening on 8 March

Primary children and secondary students up to year nine will return to school on 8 March

Guernsey's schools and early years providers are set to begin reopening from Monday.

Students up to year nine will return on 8 March, with years 10 and above the following day, the Civil Contingencies Authority chairman announced.

Deputy Peter Ferbrache said the decision was "evidence of the huge strides" made by the community.

"I am sure this will be welcome news to many parents and young people," he added.

The staggered approach to reopening will allow younger secondary students to "familiarise themselves with the introduction of their new class bubbles", the States said.

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said while the decision was not "entirely risk free", she believed it was safe to reopen schools with "the right mitigations in place".

These include:

• Classroom bubbles for primary and years seven to nine in secondary schools, with year-group bubbles for older students

• Recommended use of face masks for older students and staff

• 1m (3ft) social distancing, wherever possible

• Staggered start and finish times

• Enhanced cleaning regimes of school buildings

• Limited school transport service to minimise contact between students

• Testing strategy for staff in education, as well of for some students

All staff will be offered the chance to be tested for coronavirus voluntarily before reopening and an ongoing testing programme for staff and older students will be used, the States confirmed.

Exactly which students will be tested has not been made clear, but the programme will be targeted at particularly those "learning in larger bubbles", according to the guidance.

Active coronavirus cases in Guernsey have fallen to 15, with no new infections found over the weekend.

President of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture Andrea Dudley-Owen said the move was "welcome news" for the community.

She explained original plans to reopen over the course of one week "offered no advantage on safety grounds", and had been revised down to two days after discussions with public health officials.

Deputy Dudley-Owen said: "The safety of children and staff remains paramount and we are confident that the suite of measures in place will enable sites to open to all students."

Schools were closed when the bailiwick locked down on 23 January after a cluster of Covid cases was discovered.

They opened for the children of essential workers and vulnerable students on 8 February.

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