10 March 2020
A group of students and teachers from Jersey College for Girls who have recently returned from a school trip to Italy have gone into voluntary self-isolation as a precautionary measure.
Nineteen students from JCG, aged 15-18, travelled to Lucca with two teachers. When they were in Italy the official advice on Coronavirus only cautioned against travel to specific towns in the north of the country. However, since they returned to Jersey on Saturday March 7th, advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has changed because of the spread of the virus across Italy.
From today anyone arriving in Jersey from anywhere in Italy is required to self-isolate for two weeks, whether or not they have any symptoms of COVID-19.
No-one who went on the Lucca trip is exhibiting any symptoms. Advice from the Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ivan Muscat, is that the incubation period for Covid-19 is, on average, 5 days and as no-one on the trip has any symptoms it is unlikely that anyone has been put at risk since the trip returned.
However, in view of this latest development Dr Muscat has advised that the students and teachers should self-isolate until March 21 as a precautionary measure.
The affected pupils will be provided with work so they can continue their learning at home, and the rest of the school has been advised to follow this advice after any independent travelling.
Dr Muscat said: “This is a precautionary measure and goes beyond the advice issued by Public Health England. All the students and teachers who travelled to Lucca are well, and anyone who has already mixed with them remains safe. The families of the affected students do not need to self-isolate and there is no need to deep-clean the school. It is only the people who went to Italy who are being asked to take any action.”
There are currently no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Jersey and the Island’s health authorities are monitoring the situation closely. 84 people have been tested all have come back negative.
The Government’s campaign to inform Islanders about Coronavirus continues. A dedicated area on the Government’s website is being regularly updated to reflect the latest health and travel advice.
The Emergencies Council is due to meet on Thursday to review plans on how the Island would manage if the virus arrives in Jersey.
gov.je