Coronavirus: Jersey faces lockdown as islanders told stay home

Senator John Le Fondre said everyone had the power to reduce the spread of the virus by simply staying at home

Jersey residents will go into lockdown on Monday morning as island health authorities try to curb coronavirus.

From 08:00 BST, only essential workers will be allowed to leave home for more than two hours a day.

Restrictions were previously put in place for those with underlying health conditions and for the over 65s.

Chief Minister John Le Fondre said: "This is not advice. This is an instruction, which will be backed by powers of enforcement."

He said: "We cannot stop the virus, so we must manage its impact over the coming weeks and months.

"Those who do not follow these restrictions will be putting these people at risk."

Jersey's coronavirus restrictions:

• Leave your home only to shop for basic necessities, but as infrequently as possible, daily exercise and for medical reasons advised by a healthcare worker

• When you do need to leave your home it should be for no more than two hours a day

• All non-essential shops to be closed - a list of exceptions will be published on gov.je

• Public gatherings of more than two people, other than from the same household, will be banned

• Only family members from the same household should exercise and play together

• Parents and guardians should only take their children food shopping if there is absolutely no option to leave them at home

• You must not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home

• The majority of schools will remain closed until further guidance is issued to parents

• Those schools that have remained open to care for the children of critical workers will remain open

• Funerals should only be attended by the immediate family, and people from different households must observe social distancing

Senator Le Fondre urged those with children and young people to ensure they followed the restrictions.

He said: "There is evidence that young people are super-spreaders. If they are not staying home, they are putting the lives of their older relatives at risk."

The measures are expected to be in place through to the end of April.

"While the number of positive tests is still relatively low, Dr [Ivan] Muscat (Jersey's deputy medical officer for health) has advised the government that now is the right time to impose further restrictions on our community," said Minister for Health Richard Renouf.

He said the advice followed "significant delays" in receiving test results from the UK and confirmed the island was working on introducing its own testing.

Second death

Deputy Renouf said: "Without timely results showing us what social distancing is doing to the spread of the infection, there is a risk that the measures are not working as well as they could."

Earlier, Health and Community Services announced the second death in Jersey relating to coronavirus.

It involved a patient aged in their 70s who had "significant underlying long-term health conditions" and had been under their care for "some time".

"While they were being treated, the patient contracted Covid-19 and subsequently died," it said in a statement.

At 16:00 BST, there were 61 other positive diagnoses of the virus in the island after more than 700 tests were completed, with 101 awaiting results.

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