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More than 150 workers from abroad have been granted exemptions from quarantine in around just two weeks.
Between 20 October and 4 November, a total of 153 individuals were given permission by the Government to avoid isolation due to being classified as “critical.”
The figures come in addition to the 82 workers granted exemptions between 22 September and mid-October, which caused controversy as they included a group of 10 construction workers from red zone Rennes in France.
The latest figures bring the total to more than 230 in little more than a month.
Among those to recently be granted permission to avoid isolation were aircraft engineers, a baggage handling systems engineer, maintenance and refurbishment at La Colette, healthcare professionals, construction workers, sewage works engineers and an elevator commissioning engineer.
Pictured: Construction workers were among those granted isolation exemptions.
Under current exemption rules, permission will only be granted to workers whose skills are “not readily available in Jersey” and in situations where their assistance is deemed “time-critical.”
They must isolate until they receive a negative border test result – “unless the work is exceptionally urgent or time critical,” official guidance says - and when they are not at work.
The latest exemption figures were revealed in a letter published yesterday from the Health Minister, Deputy Richard Renouf, to Deputy Rob Ward, who is the chair of a panel probing the Government’s covid travel rules.
According to data released last week by the Health Minister following a written question from Deputy Inna Gardiner, the vast majority of covid cases in Jersey are linked with inbound travel.
Pictured: A breakdown of cases provided to Deputy Inna Gardiner. (States Assembly)
In response to a separate question from the Deputy, the Minister also provided a breakdown of when positive results were received, noting that around one in six positives came on day five or day eight.
"Between 1st October and 27th October 2020, there were a total of 139 positive covid tests (based on swab date). Of these 139, 17.2% were positive on either day 5, or day 8, having had a previous negative test result," he said.
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