Deputy Gavin St Pier has said the island must prepare to see more positive cases of coronavirus in the island.

The president for the Policy and Resources Committee said islanders "must not see that as a failure", and instead "see it as a sign of success".

He said an increase in cases would show the "test, trace, quarantine" strategy was working.

Islanders have been watching the statistics "like hawks", Deputy Pier said, and reaching zero active cases would be a "momentous day" for all.

Chairman of the Civil Contingencies Authority Gavin St Pier opened up their weekly press conference by emphasising the importance of "realism" during the crisis.

Deputy St Pier cited the fact that the World Health Organisation had reported 106,000 newly reported cases of Covid-19 worldwide on Thursday, the highest single-day figure of the pandemic so far.

He also cited the 338 coroanvirus deaths in the UK on Thursday, as well as the 2,615 new reported cases.

He said: "When we say, as we have repeatedly, we cannot be complacent, that's why.

"When we say we're not out of the woods, that is why.

"This infection remains... a very, very real threat around the world and therefore remains a very, very real threat to our community in the Bailiwick," he added.

The island has entered Phase Four of its exit strategy, six weeks ahead of schedule.

All students will return with "appropriate" public health measures in place, the States announced.

BBC Radio Guernsey

Guernsey schools will reopen to all students, five days a week, from 8 June, the States has announced.

The full reopening is an escalation of the previously planned move to allow primary students to attend two days a week.

It comes alongside plans to introduce phase four of ending lockdown six weeks early.

The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture (ESC) said "appropriate measures" would be established "safeguard the health and wellbeing" of children and staff.

Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink advised the ESC there was no longer a public health reason to prevent a full reopening, committee members revealed.

Dr Brink has laid out the public health measures needed for schools to do so.

Nurseries and preschools can allow children to return from 1 June, as long as they have submitted plans and received approval to do so, and childminders will be allowed to reopen to all families, the ESC said.

The College of Further Education will also be open from 1 June.

Guernsey will move to phase four of its lockdown exit from 30 May, the States has announced.

The move is six weeks earlier than originally set out in the six-phase exit strategy., external

Under Phase Four, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to reopen, as well as hairdressers and beauticians.

Cinemas, gyms and sports venues will also be permitted to open with social distancing measures in place, the government said.

The move comes as the States announce all schools in Guernsey will reopen from 8 June.

Restrictions on contacts between households will be lifted, although adherence to social distancing and hygiene guidelines is "more important than ever", the States said.

Non-essential travel off-island will be permitted, however there will still be a 14-day self-isolation requirement for anyone returning to the island.

Deputy Heidi Soulsby said: "We are conscious that people are desperate to travel to meet new babies that have been born during lockdown or to see relatives who don't live in the Bailiwick."

There are two known case of coronavirus in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Deputy Gavin St Pier said the island's care homes, which have been referred to as the front line of the virus, were currently clear of confirmed cases of the virus.

BBC Radio Guernsey

A local beautician has asked for more guidance from the States about when and how it planned to reopen the industry.

Rachel Leech said she had not had any conversation with Guernsey's government, but believed she had everything she should need to reopen, including personal protective equipment (PPE).

Ms Leech said the island should feel "quite safe" with just two active cases of coronavirus on the island, external, as well as 20 days without a new recorded transmission.

She said: "Business like ourselves where we work in quite close proximity to people, hopefully we can open."

The States said decisions were "based on public health evidence, external".

BBC Radio Guernsey

The biggest issue standing in the way of Guernsey's first island-wide election will be social distancing, according to the president of the States' Assembly and Constitution Committee.

Deputy Neil Inder said it would be impossible to hold an election while social distancing measures were in place.

Politicians still have not decided when the election will go ahead, but voted on Thursday for June 2021 - without ruling out other dates.

BBC Radio Guernsey

The chairman of the Civil Contingencies Authority said Guernsey would be in the fifth phase of the lockdown exit strategy, external by September.

Guernsey has not recorded an official active case of Covid-19 in more than three weeks of testing.

Image source, State of Guernsey

Deputy Gavin St Pier admitted progress had been swifter than expected and that meant restrictions would be eased faster.

He said the exit strategy had guided the government's decision, before adding it was a "very reasonable assumption that, by the time we get to September, we will at the very least be at phase five".

A review into holding Guernsey's general election in November or between March and May 2021 has been approved by the States.

Polling day was originally scheduled for June 2020, but was delayed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While approving the law change needed to move the election day politicians agreed to "review the feasibility" of bringing the date forward.

The proposal must include information for how it can be held in "accordance with public health advice, depending on the extent of the Covid-19 related health risks prevailing at that time," the amendment said.

For a November date the proposals must be submitted by July, while a vote in the spring months should be put before deputies at least six months in advance.

The States of Guernsey has approved a review of whether to hold the 2021 General election as early as November.

The election was originally scheduled for June 2020, but was delayed for a year in April.

States members approved an amendment to the new date, directing the States Assembly and Constitution Committee (SACC) to consult on the feasibility of holding the election in November 2020, or between March and May 2021.

Deputies rejected a second amendment, which would have removed the consideration of whether to hold the election in 2020.

BBC Radio Guernsey

A walking festival is moving online due to the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Seven walking guides will be filming their favourite walks to offer a virtual taste of the Guernsey Spring Walking Festival.

The films will be streamed on the Visit Guernsey website, external.

Malcolm Cleal who specialises in the island's west coast said his favourite place to go was Albecq and watch the sunset.

Charley Adams
BBC News Online

Dogs and horses are still banned on most of Alderney's beaches.

The islands General Services Committee has ruled the ban should stay in place despite the absence of tourists during lockdown.

Members did consider modifying the current rules that ban dogs and horses on beaches from June to September, but decided against making any changes in the short term.

BBC Radio Guernsey

A hairdresser has called for more financial assistance for small businesses from the States of Guernsey during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Some hairdressers are worried their finances will not last until the government says they can open up their businesses again.

Last week, the government announced takeaways could begin operating as the Bailiwick entered phase three of its exit from lockdown - hairdressers are among businesses due to open in phase four.

Phase three, which began on Saturday, will last a minimum of four weeks and the maximum is not set as it requires eight consecutive weeks of no community transmission, external.

Shane Mauger said he feels the industry "could do with a lot more help and the support grant could only help to an extent".

"The £3,000 was great for the first month, it covered a month's worth of bills and rent and so on, but other than that it's not gone any further," he said.

"So we're now in a situation where we're having to try and persuade our landlords - can we defer the payment or not pay this month."

The States has paid out more than £5m on grants of £3,000 to small businesses. Each grant is expected to provide for the business for three months, external.

The two actives cases in the island are not being treated in hospital, the States of Guernsey has confirmed.

BBC Radio Jersey

The Channel Islands Co-op said far fewer people are using its larger stores because of the lockdown.

The acting CEO Mark Cox said when the coronavirus pandemic started they were very busy with people stockpiling and panic buying, but since then shoppers have been staying away from the big shops.

Last year people in the Channel Islands bought almost 4% more food and fuel from the Co-op compared to the year before.

The new Charing Cross store in Jersey was a factor for the increase compared to the year before, explained CEO Mark Cox.

He said the community stores "generally are performing well" but the numbers are mixed across the islands.

Any "rock towers" tribute sculptures may be removed if they are a "risk", the States has announced.

The piles of stones have been constructed around the British Isles by people out on their daily exercise in coastal areas during coronavirus lockdowns.

However, the government said a number of these pebble tributes have been built in "high places, such as on top of bunkers and coastal walls, where rocks may topple and injure people sitting or walking underneath".

These will be taken down as they can pose a threat to "other members of the public, wildlife and the environment", they added.

A spokeswoman for Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services confirmed some of the structures had used building materials to make them "taller and more permanent".

She said: "Other important things to consider is that too much material removed from the beach can also affect the ecology of the area and the collection of rocks may disturb seabirds which will be breeding on these shingle banks at this time of year."

Deputy Gavin St Pier, using the simpler title of Chief Minister, will appear alongside the UK Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon MP and Susan Michie, who is a professor of health psychology at University College London.

Chris Mason presents and you can tune in to BBC Radio 4 from 20:00 on Friday or listen back to the programme after it has been broadcast.

Rebecca Thorn
BBC News Online

Condor Ferries chief executive Paul Luxon has said the company is at risk of "significant job redundancies" because of the coronavirus.

The ferry-operator, which serves routes between France, Jersey, Guernsey and the UK, has been forced to run a freight-only service since March.

In addition the company expects to see a "tiny" number of people travelling this year, Mr Luxon said.

He said the company was entering a "consultation process" with its employees, and would be discussing individuals' options over the next month.

The operator currently employees about 100 crew members on its two high-speed ferries.

Image source, Condor Ferries

A passenger service between Jersey, the UK, and France could resume at the end of June, but this would depend on each jurisdictions' border controls, Mr Luxon said.

Sailings to and from Guernsey were unlikely to restart until September, he added.

"We’re absolutely determined that we’ll get back sailing passengers as quickly as we can," Mr Luxon said.

“It would be really helpful if the four jurisdictions made their decisions in sync with each other because then we could plan across the whole ferry schedule service."