BBC Radio Jersey

Churches in Jersey are bringing in tough new measures to limit the spread of coronavirus - following a surge in cases in the island.

Jersey's Methodist leader has asked churches to close or limit their congregations - and for as many staff as possible to work from home.

Meanwhile Jersey's Anglican Dean - the Very Reverend Mike Keirle - has asked his clergy to close churches for at least two weeks, in the hope they may be able to open in time for Christmas.

"Clergy and their teams are going to have to be pretty creative in the next few weeks as they look ahead," he said.

"I think they're grateful we've made a decision because its hard to plan not knowing what's ahead."

BBC Radio Jersey

The group that organises sports and activities in Jersey has backed a government decision to close the island's indoor sports centres.

No indoor sport is allowed for the next few weeks, as part of tougher coronavirus restrictions announced on Wednesday.

Many clubs said they heard the news at the same time as the public.

Jersey Sport's boss Catriona McAllister said: "Yes it would be lovely to have advance notice, but the cases are rising so quickly, I've got to give credit to my government colleagues who are managing to get stuff out as quickly as they are."

Dan Williams said he put on lots of weight at the start of lockdown - but with the professional help at a gym has got fit again.

He told the BBC that the authorities need to take people's health and wellbeing into account as they try to control coronavirus.

"I understand that we have to control the virus and we have to put measures in place, but I think we also need to consider the impact it has."

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BBC News

Jersey's Honorary Police force is appealing for volunteers to support its efforts.

Grouville Parish said it "urgently" required more support, and needed to fill two centenier positions and find seven more officers.

Centeniers are senior members of the force, who are elected for three years and have the power to charge and bail offenders.

Applicants to the Honorary Police must be aged between 20 and 69 years old, and must have lived in Jersey for a minimum of two years.

Constable of Grouville John Le Maistre said: "The priority now is to fill the office of two Centeniers, as it is a legal requirement for us to have four.

"I would like to encourage and invite parishioners to apply or to come and have a chat to find out more."

Those interested in the role are asked to email Grouville Parish Secretary Julie Wildbore-Hands at j.wildborehands@pog.gov.je

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A Jersey Deputy says he's "looking forward to the next election even more" now changes to the island's electoral system have been agreed.

Nine districts will replace the current constituencies and senators will be abolished by 2022.

Deputy Kevin Pamplin says he's "proud to represent St. Savior District One", but he'll be "prouder to represent the whole parish".

He added that he thought changes to the island's voting system were "way overdue".

The proposals still need to written into law, which has to be approved by the States.

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A group of surgeries that were at risk of closure has been taken over by some of their GPs.

The Co-Op Medical Care has been rebranded as First Medical.

It's got surgeries in Bath Street in St Helier, New Era in St Clement and at the St Peter Co-op supermarket.

Its bosses had previously warned jobs were at risk, because the company had run at a loss for the last six years.

Under this new arrangement, no jobs have been lost.

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Sixty new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Jersey on Thursday.

The total number of active cases of Covid-19 is now 378, with 255 of those people showing symptoms and 10 people are being treated in hospital.

Ten patients are in hospitals, with two admitted for other reasons, but identified through cohort testing.

Two cases were identified from inbound travel, 14 through workforce screening, 25 through contact tracing, 16 while individuals were seeking healthcare, and one through admissions screening.

BBC Radio Jersey

The Government of Jersey will give more than £1m of extra funding to the group that supports heritage sites in the island.

The Jersey Heritage Trust - which manages 35 historical sites - is being given the money, after seeing a drop in income during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tim Brown, the trust's chairman, said the extra money would allow it to keep staff after making big cuts to services earlier this year.

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BBC News

Jersey’s public buildings are to be assessed on how accessible they are for people with disabilities.

Liberate Jersey, an equality and diversity charity, has begun conducting audits of government-owned buildings.

The news was released on Wednesday, which was the United Nations International Day of Persons With Disabilities.

So far, the Jersey Library, States building, Central Market and the Opera House have been assessed against a checklist of more than 100 building criteria including car parking, lifts, lighting and handrails.

Results will be allocated a blue, orange or green status depending on the level of improvement that might be needed.

Paul McGinnety, director of customer and local services, said: "The work Liberate Jersey are doing supports government’s Disability Strategy which focuses on ensuring disabled islanders are able to have greater access to public buildings and the services they provide.

"The work is ongoing, and we welcome the findings of the audits."

BBC Radio Jersey

Jersey Post has said it's doing all it can to make sure Christmas presents arrive on time this year.

It said lots of staff were in self-isolation, and it was having to change the way it works to make up for lost time.

The postal service asked islanders to be "patient" if there are any delays.

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All pubs, clubs and restaurants in Jersey will be closed after tonight, possibly until next year.

It means they will be closed over Christmas and New Year.

In a move prompted by a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, the island's health minister said he had to cut the risk of people from different households socialising together.

He called it a "hospitality circuit breaker" after 56 more people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total of known, active infections to 331.

It means, in the past week, 248 people have been found to have the virus in Jersey.

Eight are in hospital - most of whom were admitted for other reasons.

During the circuit breaker, people will also have to stay two metres apart from anyone else whenever they go out.

The new laws are expected to stay in place until 4 January.

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Image source, Getty Images

Members of the hospitality industry have shared their reactions after it was announced all pubs, bars and restaurants would close for up to a month on Friday.

Sean Murphy from the Lamplighter pub in St Helier told the BBC the move had come "too late".

He said having to close over Christmas and the New Year would cost the industry thousands of pounds - and people's jobs.

"Everyone in the hospitality industry understands the reasoning of it, because of Covid," he said.

"But it's the timing of the closure. We all think it should have been done a lot earlier to try and save Christmas, for us in the hospitality trade and of course for our patrons."

Tim Hubert from the Jersey Hospitality Association described the announcement as "a bit of a shell shock".

He said the States would need to provide "greater" financial support to the industry than it had done up until now.

Image source, Google

Jersey's health minister has welcomed the news the UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination.

Deputy Richard Renouf, added: "We remain in close discussion with colleagues in the UK with regards to the number of doses that will be available, and the timescales for delivery.

"We will make further announcements in due course."

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BBC News

People at high risk of severe illness are being advised to take extra measures to protect themselves against coronavirus.

The advice, which comes into effect immediately, classes people at high risk, external if they have severe respiratory conditions, certain types of cancers, those who have received a solid organ transplant and a number of other conditions.

However, people over the age of 70, people with Down’s syndrome, and people who have stage 5 kidney disease, or who were undergoing kidney dialysis have now also been classed as high risk, the government said.

The updated guidance for Islanders at high risk includes recommendations to:

• Work from home wherever possible, and avoid going out to work unless they worked alone and avoid public transport
• Avoid indoor activities which took place outside of their home
• Choose a small number of family or friends, where needed, from outside of their household, that they choose not to maintain physical distancing with, and keep that "same, small consistent group"
• Maintain a 2m distance from people outside their household wherever possible
• Avoid visits to other people’s homes, and limit having visitors into their own home, unless it is for delivering care or other essential services, or it is within the small consistent number of chosen friends or family

Parents or guardians of children and young people classed as high risk should seek advice from their specialist doctor or care provider to determine whether they should currently attend school, the government said.

Islanders at high risk who will see a loss of earnings if they follow the guidance can apply for financial support through the Connect Me service, external, it added.

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A Jersey retail advisor thinks Christmas could be make-or-break time for local shops hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

The States has donated £35,000 to the parish of St Helier to try to encourage more people to shop locally, with incentives such as Christmas music in the town centre and extra help for late-night shopping.

Daphne East, from the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, said shop keepers were understandably anxious.

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BBC News

The Government of Jersey has said Wednesday's Covid-19 press conference will provide details about a "hospitality circuit breaker".

No details about exactly what this could entail have been revealed, but the term has been used in UK nations to mean short, sharp lockdown style restrictions to bring down the infection rate.

The original social media announcement did not indicate this could be specific to the hospitality trade, but this was subsequently deleted after questions.

A full two-week circuit breaker has been in place in Northern Ireland since 27 November and a 17-day 'firebreak' was used in Wales in October and November.

Wales has subsequently announced pubs, restaurants and cafes will be banned from serving alcohol from Friday.

BBC Radio Jersey

Jersey's politicians are continuing to discuss proposed changes to the island's electoral system, with a final vote expected later.

The main suggestion remains on the table; for the island to be divided into nine voting districts, each electing three, four or five deputies.

They are also debating if constables should retain an automatic right to sit in the States and if the role of senator should be scrapped.

Four proposed amendments have thus far been rejected.

Additional votes, including on any decision being subject to a referendum, are due to be held before the final outcome is known.

Andrew Segal
BBC News

Jersey General Hospital is to close to all visitors from 17:00 on Wednesday to protect patients and staff following an increase in community Covid-19 cases, the government has said.

Health Minister Richard Renouf said he understood suspending visiting would impact on families and patients and be distressing.

But he added it was "vital that we keep our patients, staff and the public safe".

Patients are still being asked to attend outpatient clinic appointments and planned procedures, but to come alone. However, children or vulnerable adults can be accompanied by one other person wearing appropriate PPE.

The Maternity Unit, paediatrics and the Special Care Baby Unit would remain open for visitors, "with strict PPE measures in place", the government said.

Special arrangements would be made for the families of any patient on an end-of-life care pathway, officials added.

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The newly-appointed assistant environment minister has called on Jersey's health authorities to explain reasons behind increased coronavirus restrictions.

Deputy Jess Perchard backed moves to make face coverings compulsory, but said she did not understand why other restrictions had not been brought in.

She said it was hard for many people to understand the direction ministers were taking and she was worried Jersey was not tackling the virus properly.

She added that there was a lot that could be learnt from Guernsey.

Meanwhile, the Jersey Law Society said it was not fair to suggest its members were to blame for a rise in the number of people with coronavirus.

The States is increasing testing for finance and legal workers.

Some health experts said they believed member of the legal profession were more likely to socialise after work than other professions.

However, Neville Benbow, from the law society, said that was not true.

On Tuesday, the Jersey Hospitality Association said it was not fair to single its industry as a cause of rising coronavirus cases in the island.

BBC Radio Jersey

Jersey's health minister is expected to announce more anti-Covid measures on Wednesday evening.

The chief minister, health minister and medical experts are due to will speak at a specially-convened press conference at 19:00.

It follows concerns over the latest measures, with Deputy Jess Perchard asking the health minister to explain his actions, and asking why he did not go further with some restrictions.