26 March 2021
The Council of Ministers have updated travel requirements for students under the age of 18 who are returning to Jersey. This follows consultation with the Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell (STAC).
From 26 April, students under the age of 18 who are returning to Jersey for half-term holidays, or at the end of the summer term will be treated as Green arrivals.
They will be tested on arrival in Jersey and will have to have isolate until they receive a negative result. They will then take a follow-up test on Day 5 and Day 10 if they are still on-Island.
To be eligible for the Green arrival status, parents or guardians will need to apply in advance, with supporting evidence from the child's school or establishment, which confirms that:
- the child has spent the previous 14 days at the school
- there have been no positive test results in the school for the previous 14 days
- the child has not stayed overnight anywhere else on the way to Jersey
- the child has had no symptoms in the past 14 days
Parents of children returning for the Easter holiday before 26 April may apply to have their isolation requirement varied from the blanket red classification to the current Government-assessed rating for where their school is located.
Parents will need to provide written confirmation that their child has not been identified as a direct contact or tested positive for COVID-19 in the 14 days before their arrival in Jersey. They will also be required to identify where their child's school is located.
Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Richard Renouf, said: "As Ministers, we continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation both on-Island and off-Island, and we continue to respond appropriately.
"While we will need to reconsider this policy if there is a deterioration in the COVID-19 situation in the UK, it is my hope that local students attending UK boarding schools, and their families, will be able to make arrangements for school holiday periods. At the same time, we will continue to provide the Island with the reassurance that results from a robust testing regime."
The policy will not apply to students over the age of 18, for example, those who are returning from university or college. These students will be subject to standard testing and self-isolation requirements, in line with the Safer Travel Policy.
In the case of children returning for Easter, the application process will open at 10am on Friday 26 March and will close at midday Tuesday 30 March; applications received outside these times will not be considered.
Applications for holidays during the summer term are open from early May, and guidance is available via the Government of Jersey website: https://www.gov.je/Health/Coronavirus/Travel/Pages/JerseyChildrenPermissionNotToIsolate.aspx.
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