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With the big Liberation 75 celebration cancelled, the only thing occupying our thoughts was the pandemic.
Words such as ‘bubble’, ‘hygiene’ and ‘stimulus package’, which had previously only been associated with having a successful bath, entered the everyday lexicon.
A bubble, it seems, was not something to be blown … or was it in Jersey’s case, as its advances to ‘bubble up’ with the other Channel Islands were spurned. Even Sark, consisting of five horses, 12 sheep and three retired colonels, told Jersey where to go.
Firstly, Jersey investigated allowing restriction-free travel in and out of the UK – despite the Health Minister previously describing opening the borders as “our greatest risk.” The Government had previously hinted that unlocking travel to and from the island would be the final step in its lockdown exit plan – in common with Guernsey – and could come as late as 2021. But now that position changed in May.
When it came to Guernsey, May was the month that the two islands’ divergent strategies cemented. Midway through the month, Deputy Jess Perchard’s brought an ‘elimination strategy’ to the States, asking the Government to draft a strategy to work towards achieving zero cases of the virus locally by early June. But it was rejected in favour of continuing the 'delay, contain, shield’ policy.
Pictured: The States Assembly rejected a call for the Island to adopt an 'elimination strategy' like Guernsey.
This prompted our sister island to stick the proverbial two fingers up at Jersey. In a Bailiwick Express Guernsey poll, 80% of the 3,000 respondents favoured teaming up with Alderney, Sark and Herm rather than the pox-ridden Caesarea.
Deputy Peter Ferbrache went one further, describing Jersey’s government as “a bunch of bumbling idiots” and suggesting that businesses might “regret” settling in the island due to its covid-19 response. Ha, well, Deputy Ferbrache – now Chief Minister of a covid-free island – who’s laughing now, eh?
Deputy Ferbrache wasn’t the only person taking a pop at the Government. The Managing Director of Romerils hit out at the decision to temporarily close Broad Street to traffic, saying it will hurt shops by reducing town footfall and making deliveries harder.
The comments from Steve Jewell came ahead of the closure on 23 May - just days after the move was announced by the Infrastructure Minister. Deputy Kevin Lewis said it would allow for better physical distancing between pedestrians, while allowing alfresco business to thrive in the area. He didn’t specify that “temporary” meant seven months and counting.
Pictured: Broad Street closed in May as a 'temporary' measure which is still in place, much to the chagrin of some businesses.
With the lockdown rules loosening, so people could head out for six hours instead of two, everyone headed out west to be at one with nature … but ended up turning the whole of St. Ouen’s Bay into a car park by doing so.
“Ludicrous” numbers of illegal parkers on Five Mile Road footpaths over one weekend sparked a crackdown by the Honorary Police, who pledged to fine offenders damaging the paths and banks in the coastal park.
Fewer people went to St. Mary, where a private testing facility was set up at Tamba Park, especially after Government officials expressed strong concerns, suggesting it would spread “fear and confusion”. Orchid Care Services offered pinprick blood tests to Islanders for £74.95, although it hadn’t had official approval by British health authorities.
Pictured: A private testing centre at Tamba Park opened in May, which was closely followed by calls for its regulation.
Fearing that Islanders might be being offered snake oil, Deputy Kirsten Morel launched a drive to regulate private covid-19 testing facilities to ensure people didn’t end up paying for tests which are “neither effective nor accurate”. In June, the States backed the proposal and a few weeks after that, the Tamba centre closed down after six weeks in operation and over 1,400 tests. The company behind it said it had run “its natural course."
In news that should have been deemed far more important, 14 rare pygmy hogs were released into the wild with the help of Durrell. The hogs were released in two groups on the 14 and 17 May in Manas National Park, Assam, by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP), of which Trinity-based charity is a key partner.
Jersey also lost three well-known Islanders in May. Former policeman and town Deputy Ben Fox, Airport porter Brian Gale, whose two-dimensional cardboard twin famously pointed arriving passengers to the empty lane where taxis were supposed to be, and the ever-so respectful and kind jeweller Colin Letto all left us to join the illustrious ranks of great Jerseymen upstairs.
January, the calm before the storm
March, it hits and we lockdown
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