Fully Vaccinated Travellers To Get Lateral Flow Tests On Arrival

 Travellers into the Bailiwick will be provided with lateral flow tests from Tuesday 3 August.

The CCA has confirmed that it will introduce this for adult ‘blue channelers’ – those coming from within the Common Travel Area who had their second jab more than two weeks before travelling.  

The Authority says it will happen as long as it receives the testing packs in time.

It also recommends that people who are not local residents arrange to take a pre-travel test to avoid any costs and difficulties they could experience if they test positive on arrival. 

Fully vaccinated travellers who opt to take the lateral flow tests will be charged £25 for the set of five, after completing the 'Travel Tracker' form.

Travellers are asked to take the lateral flow test every other day, to help protect themselves and the wider community.

Anyone who receives a positive result from a self-administered lateral flow test must immediately self-isolate and contact the clinical helpline to book a PCR test.

Lateral flow tests are not to be used if any traveller has Covid-19 symptoms, as in such instances people must contact the Clinical Helpline on 01481 756938 or 01481 756969 to be booked in for a PCR test.

Children aged 11 and under travelling with fully vaccinated adults will not receive, or be charged for, lateral flow tests. Young people aged between 12 and 17 travelling with fully vaccinated adults already receive, and are charged for, PCR tests on arrival and day 7, and this will continue.  

At this stage, arrivals from Jersey will still require a negative PCR test within the 48-hour period before travel, as per the decision on 19 July 2021. However, this will be kept under review.

Deputy Peter Ferbrache, Chairman of the Civil Contingencies Authority, said:

"The CCA often has very difficult decisions to make where we try to balance the needs, desires and safety of our whole community. We are by no means perfect and, as has happened on occasion throughout the last 18 months while trying to manage this pandemic, we won’t get every decision right.

"Where we get things wrong or change direction we will say so and hold our hands up, and having reflected on our decision of last week, and importantly having had the opportunity to examine other options in more detail, we listened to our community and found a better way forward. However, we recognise this has impacted some members of our community, to whom we apologise.

"The decision we have made today(27 July), to introduce lateral flow tests on arrival while continuing to strongly recommend that anyone not locally resident in the Bailiwick takes a pre-travel test, seeks to provide an additional level of mitigation to help further protect our community without significantly impacting those who are fully vaccinated and want to travel.

"Paying for the test will be a condition of travelling into the Bailiwick and therefore compulsory if you are a blue channeler, and travellers must use the authorised tests we provide, rather than any they might bring themselves. We will keep the need for lateral flow testing on arrival under review in the coming weeks."