Emergency Ministerial meeting as covid school situation hits “critical”

Monday 12 July 2021

Ministers urgently met this afternoon to discuss the rapid rise in covid cases in Jersey and threat of school closures as the test and trace system nears collapse once more.

According to statistics released by the Government to Express, more staff and students have been hit by covid this term than during the island’s previous case peak in autumn.

356 individuals – 325 pupils and 41 staff – have tested positive for the illness since half-term. Over a four-week period during the second wave, 198 pupils were infected and 31 staff.

Current attendance levels have dipped to 79.7% in secondary schools and 91.1% in primary schools.

It comes after Express reported this morning that some schools were having to consider closures to year groups as a result of staff absences due to covid. 

Grainville told parents and guardians this morning that staffing levels were “critical”, and that Year 9s would have to stay out of school on Tuesday and Year 11s on Wednesday. 

Across all of last week, 107 pupils tested positive and 13 staff - double the previous week. On Friday alone, there were 32 confirmed cases in schools, with three out of the four positive staff being from Grainville.

Full covid statistics for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are yet to be released, but there were 987 recorded cases across the island on Friday, and nearly 7,000 direct contacts.

Amid concerns about contracting the illness before the holidays, Express is aware that numerous islanders have opted to take their children out of school early, against Government rules.

Competent Authorities Ministers (CAM) – who are responsible for emergency decision-making - assembled at 15:30 to receive an update on case numbers, with Home Affairs Director General Julian Blazeby delivering an “operational update” at 17:15.  

They were also due to consider the impact of the decision to allow all direct contacts to leave quarantine, provided they agreed to testing and did not return a positive result.

The meeting was expected to conclude at 17:45. 

Children and Education Minister Deputy Scott Wickenden confirmed that he is in attendance, alongside senior officials from the Department of Children, Young People, Education and Skills. 

Pictured: Children's Minister Deputy Scott Wickenden said he would be relaying concerns from the education community during the CAM meeting.

“Officers from the Department have been appraising the situation for the last week, listening to, nursery, school and parents’ concerns. I will share these with CAM Ministers today," he said.

“The Department will continue to meet with the STAC and Public Health colleagues over the summer to work on the plans for a safe and sustained return to schools and colleges in September. 

“Senior officers are in regular meetings and discussions with colleagues from the Departments for Health and Community Services and Strategic Policy, Planning & Performance to review early years and schools’-specific guidance and mitigation measures, which form part of the safety planning and risk assessment process. Regular briefings are provided to the Children and Education Ministerial Team.”

It follows condemnation of the change in direct contacts policy from unions and Reform Jersey. 

The meeting also comes amid further concerns that the test and trace system is once again buckling under pressure, with islanders facing long waits on the helpline and difficulties in booking tests.

Many islanders have reported that they have been told they are direct contacts by individuals they know to have tested positive, but sometimes had to wait more than 24 hours to be contacted by the contact tracing team.

Senator Kristina Moore previously called for an online test booking system, but this call remains unanswered by Government.

Blasting the test booking difficulties, Senator Sam Mézec said this afternoon on Twitter that he was aware of individuals who knew they were direct contacts of positive calling the helpline and being told that they should wait to be ‘officially’ contact traced.

4/ This situation is a shambles. The government should well have predicted that cases would go up when they opened the borders, and clearly didn't account for it, allowing the system to get overwhelmed, and now risking causing havoc in the economy they were trying to protect.

— Senator Sam Mézec (@SamMezecJsy) July 12, 2021

“These people know they are direct contacts and want to book tests, but aren't being allowed, and instead have to wait on a system that is known to be falling apart. Meanwhile, all of these people are allowed to go out and about as they like, potentially spreading covid,” he lamented.

“This situation is a shambles. The government should well have predicted that cases would go up when they opened the borders, and clearly didn't account for it, allowing the system to get overwhelmed, and now risking causing havoc in the economy they were trying to protect.” 

Long and slow-moving queues of traffic have been reported on Beaumont Hill as a result of demand at the Airport-based covid testing centre. St. Peter Honorary Police warned islanders to avoid the area earlier today.

A report on Jersey's R number released last week - the first to be produced since February - showed that each person with covid is infecting two more on average.

The latest test and trace chaos, and school staffing impact, comes just days before Jersey was supposed to have what has been dubbed 'Freedom Day' on Thursday - the release of the final covid restrictions, including stand-up drinking, nightclubbing and limits on private gatherings. Earlier today, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the UK's lockdown rules would end on 19 July. 

Follow Express for updates…