States wants Jersey hospital visit ban to be lifted

The Council of Ministers implemented the temporary restriction of visitors to Jersey’s General Hospital adult wards and mental health wards

Politicians have agreed there should be a "robust system" for stopping people with Covid from visiting patients.

It follows a ban on visitors from 13 January after a small number of people visited the hospital with Covid symptoms.

The ban applied to the adult and mental health wards at Jersey's General Hospital.

Exceptions were in place for some patients including those receiving end-of-life care.

The restrictions were reviewed on Thursday after being in place for one week.

The Constable of St Clement, Marcus Troy, spoke in the States meeting about receiving treatment for cancer during the pandemic.

He said sometimes he was allowed visitors, and other times he was not, adding, "you have to accept that."

"It is the hospital, you have to go by the rules that the clinicians set, they are the experts and how dare we argue with them to the extent that we put other people in danger."

The health minister said he would speak to senior clinicians about how the ban could be lifted.

No timescale for lifting the ban has been confirmed.

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