Future lockdown policy (FOI)

Request

Please advise if the law allowing a lockdown to be declared without going to a States Debate has been removed and, that if another lockdown should ever consider to be needed, this would have to go to a States Debate.

Response 

The Covid-19 (Screening, assessment and isolation) (Jersey) Regulations (“the Regulations”) were debated and adopted by the States Assembly on 27 March 2020. The Regulations provided the Minister for Health and Social Services with the power to make a Restricted Movement Order that prohibited people from public places. The Restricted Movement Order was commonly known as a ‘lock down’ Order. In adopting the Regulations, the Assembly agreed that the Minister did not need the Assembly’s approval to make a ‘lock-down’ Order.  

These Regulations were made under the Covid-19 (Enabling Provisions) (Jersey) Law 2020. On 30 March 2022 the Assembly agreed that no Regulations or Orders could be made under that Law from 17 December 2022. As such, it would not currently be possible for a lock down to be declared without an Assembly debate.