'Circuit Breaker' Measures Introduced From Friday

The government has confirmed that all hospitality venues in Jersey will have to close from Friday 4th December.

That was revealed by Channel 103 earlier today.

Shops can stay open, but gyms and indoor sport and fitness classes have to close.

The two-metre rule for physical distancing will also come back into force.

All of these measures will come into force from Friday and are likely to remain in place until Monday 4th January.

"We are seeing more cases in hospital and a continuing growth in the number of positive cases in the community. We have been briefed on the current R-rate, which is between 1.6 and 2.0. This means each case is, on average, passing the infection onto more than one other person. This is too much and we need to introduce more stringent restrictions to protect Islanders.

"If we don’t take this action now, we could be facing more stringent restrictions. However, we anticipate that these actions will, in the next two to three weeks, lead to a reduction in case numbers. This will not happen straight away, as a change in measures takes at least two weeks to make an impact on figures. We must therefore take this action to protect both our population and our healthcare system." -Senator John Le Fondré, Chief Minister.

Ministers have agreed a set of strict new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 to begin on Friday at 00:01 AM.

View further details about the announcement here: https://t.co/TigqeywldZ pic.twitter.com/CmzNuCGqO1

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) December 2, 2020

People could be prosecuted if they don't keep two metres apart in public places when asked to by an enforcement officer.

The rule is also effective in retail, shops and cafes.

The government says alternative arrangements will be made regarding distancing for places like healthcare and schools - and that more support will be provided under the Co-funded payroll scheme 3+ to support the affected business and their employees.

"We have received some sobering advice from our scientific and medical colleagues, and we are convinced that this is the right approach. If these numbers continue to rise, we will need to open the Nightingale Ward.

"I have already made mask-use and contact-tracing a legal requirement, and the permitted size of gatherings has been reduced. Now it’s time to take these restrictions further. This isn’t a lockdown and we won’t be limiting the time people can spend outside their homes, but we are trying to limit the potential for uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 by closing hospitality venues, gyms and indoor exercise classes, and by keeping people further apart in public areas." -Deputy Richard Renouf, Health Minister.

Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ivan Muscat, says the number of active cases in Jersey is now doubling every 13 days.