Children returning from boarding schools to be tested for Covid

Thursday 15 October 2020

Children returning from public schools and residential placements for the half-term holiday will now have to take a Covid test when they arrive.

Ministers have agreed a set of policies for children returning home from the UK, or further afield, for the holiday.

There are thought to be around 100 Jersey pupils at UK boarding schools and a small number at residential centres due to additional needs, such as autism.

Children aged 11-18 who are returning home will essentially follow the regime for adults returning from green regions: taking a test on arrival and isolating until they get their first negative test. They will also have a follow up test on day five if they are still in Jersey. However, this policy applies to every child, whatever region they have come from.

This is because Ministers have agreed with their scientific advisers that the colour ratings applied to the locations of boarding schools do not reflect the level of risk for children returning to Jersey, because of the measures put in place by the schools to reduce the risk of infection. 

However, children will only be allowed to travel if they also have written confirmation from their parents, and supported by the school or placement that:

• the child has spent the previous 14 days at the school.
• There have been no positive test results in the school for the previous 14 days.
• The child has not stayed overnight anywhere else on the way to Jersey.
• The child has had no symptoms in the past 14 days.

Information about getting that information to the Government can be found here.

Meanwhile, Condor is cancelling high speed sailings from the UK next month following the reintroduction of two-week quarantine on arrivals into Guernsey and the reduced numbers of passengers travelling due to the pandemic. 

Paul Luxon, Condor’s Chief Executive Officer, said: "When the States of Guernsey reclassified the southern regions of the UK to Group A last week, we saw a significant increase in cancellations and a similar reduction in new bookings. The pandemic is also clearly impacting on passenger confidence generally as we enter the quieter autumn and winter periods.

Pictured: Condor CEO Paul Luxon.

"We have therefore reviewed our schedule, and sadly are left with no option but to cancel all Poole services in November as we are simply not able to run ships at a fraction of normal capacity."

Passengers travelling between the UK and the Islands from Friday 6 November to Thursday 3 December are now being switched to the Commodore Clipper service to and from Portsmouth.