Rebecca Thorn
BBC News

The Committee for Health and Social Care is proposing legislative changes that will allow the States of Guernsey to vaccinate the bailiwick's residents against coronavirus.

On Wednesday Deputy Heidi Soulsby said the law would need to be changed in order to allow a vaccine without full licensing to be used.

She said this was due to the speed at which the coronavirus vaccine was being developed.

In a policy letter, the committee is asking the States to agree that:

• A vaccination programme is established for the Bailiwick to mitigate against the risks of Covid-19
• Any Covid-19 vaccine considered "appropriate" by the committee can be used, as long as the vaccine has a recognised marketing authorisation, or a temporary authority issued under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012
• The committee can specify who is allowed to administer the vaccination, in addition to registered healthcare professionals

Deputy Soulsby said it was hoped a vaccine would be available for use by the end of the year.

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Businesses providing visitor accommodation in Guernsey and Alderney will be able to apply for financial support from Monday.

The grant scheme is expected to provide about £6.5m worth of support from 1 October to 31 March.

Businesses have until 31 August and will be notified of their eligibility and the value of the grant before the beginning of October.

To submit a claim, businesses need to complete the online form, external.

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Blue Islands airline has paid tribute to its founder by using an aeroplane to draw a heart in the sky.

Derek Coates, who also founded the Healthspan Group, died aged 72 this week.

A flight leaving Jersey made the heart shape over the islands on its way to Norwich.

Blue Islands’ CEO Rob Veron said: "The big heart in our blue skies today signifies Derek’s love of our islands and our true love of Derek."

Image source, Blue Islands

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Image source, States of Guernsey

Two teenagers rescued a six-year-old boy who was being dragged out to sea in Alderney.

Tobin Collier, 14, and Isaac Maurice, 13, were at Braye Beach when they spotted the young boy, who was on a paddle board and was being pulled out to sea by the change in the tide.

The boy's dad tried to rescue him but was unable to to swim against the tide so Tobin and Maurice decided they could swim across the bay to reach the boy and stop the board from being dragged further.

They calmed him down and waited until Alderney's water taxi arrived, having been called by someone on the beach.

The teens both had Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) lessons at St Anne’s School.

Tobin said: “We are lucky here on the island having RLSS lessons provided by the school which gave me the confidence and knowledge to assess the situation and take action.”

Isaac added: "I knew that I could swim the distance in the water conditions and therefore did not hesitate to help.

"I would tell everybody to learn Survive and Save skills, especially in the sea, as you really never know when it will be needed."

An outbreak of coronavirus in the Faroe Islands, which until Wednesday had (like Guernsey) not seen a known active case of the virus since April, is a warning against complacency says Deputy Gavin St Pier.

There are 18 main islands with a total population of 52,000 located about 200 miles (320km) north of Scotland, and are an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Guernsey Coastguard has issued warning about the dangers of ‘tombstoning’ off coastal walls, harbour piers and the Bailiwick coastline during the warmer weather in the summer holidays.

Tombstoning involves jumping off cliffs, seawalls and rocks into deep water, often during high tides, which can have "severe and life-threatening consequences", the service said.

Areas of particular concern for the coastguard are the sea wall at Havelet Bay on the Castle Emplacement and Herm harbour.

Head of Guernsey Coastguard David Barker said he could not "over-emphasise how dangerous it can be to - quite literally - jump into the unknown".

He explained it was impossible to know what is "hidden from view under the sea’s surface", including rocks, other objects floating below the surface or on the seabed, as well as the tides and strong currents in the Bailiwick.

Captain Barker added: "Just the impact with the water from enough height can cause serious injury.

"If you must jump into the sea, do it under the guidance of a qualified coasteering instructor."

If anyone sees someone they believe to be in immediate danger near or in the water they should call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard, the service said.

The head of Guernsey's law enforcement has apologised for a police recruitment video, which was removed from social media on Thursday.

The advertisement showed explosions, high speed chases and armed raids all set to energetic music, as part of a recruitment drive for nine new officers.

Ruari Hardy said he had authorised the video and apologised for its content undermining public confidence in Guernsey Police.

He said the activities in the video are all undertaken by Guernsey Police, but accepts that they were portrayed in a dramatic way.

The video cost the force £5,000 to produce and was online for just two days before being removed because of negative feedback

Social media users had criticised the campaign for misrepresenting what policing in Guernsey looks like, as well as being inappropriate in the context of global scrutiny of police use of force in the wake of George Floyd's death in the United States.

BBC Radio Guernsey

A brand new type of electric wheelchair has been launched in Guernsey which allows the carer to control it if the person using the vehicle is unable to.

Invented by local entrepreneur Brin Harrison, the wheelchair is believed to be the first of its kind.

It is designed for users who are unable to steer existing electric wheelchairs themselves.

Image source, Getty Images

Chantel Harrison, the inventor's wife, explained how the chair one, saying if one goes over a hill "you [carer] can gradually take your hands off the handle slowly, easing it down the hill".

"If I let go, slip or trip, the chair comes to an automatic standstill and the person is safe," she said.

BBC Radio Guernsey

Guernsey's President of Economic Development said the island was "lucky" to have founder of Healthspan and Blue Islands Derek Coates.

Deputy Charles Parkinson said Mr Coates, who died on Tuesday aged 72, was "one of a kind".

"He was a well-known figure in the island and spoke at a number of events," he said.

"He was really well-regarded as an employer, his staff liked working for him, his business certainly thrived and we were really lucky to have him," Mr Parkinson told Radio Guernsey.

BBC Radio Guernsey

Herm's CEO said a drop in self-isolation restrictions to seven days is still too lengthy.

Craig Senior, the island's Director of Hospitality, told Radio Guernsey it does nothing for his industry but admits it is a step forward.

"For families and loved ones it's moving in the right direction but for the hospitality industry I don't think it makes any difference," Mr Senior said.

He said "the problem is even if borders were to open tomorrow", there would be the question of how businesses "would be able cope as they don't have the staff either".

A second political party has registered with the Greffe ahead of October's rescheduled general election - the first Guernsey election which allows political parties to endorse candidates.

The Guernsey Party, founded by Advocate Mark Helyar, outlines its values on his website, external, some of which are "fiscal prudence, low taxation", "light touch regulation in all sectors" and "cost effective and proportionate social policy".

Mr Helyar specifies that the party will argue for a three school and dedicated sixth form model for reforming secondary education, oppose GST "in principle as a non-progressive tax" and wants to reform States processes.

In its founding constitution, the party said one of its key purposes is to "bring together" a group of sitting deputies, candidates and volunteers for the first island wide election.

This group of people will "share a public commitment to similar qualities, behaviours, objectives and policies in furtherance of the future good governance of the Bailiwick".

For a political party to register in Guernsey it must to share financial accounts with the Greffier before the day of the election.

Applications must also include:

• Constitution
• Names of the leader, treasurer and secretary
• Accounts and address
• Two signatories
• Emblem (if any)

More information about registering as a party is available on the States website, external.

Public health bosses are contacting people in Guernsey who tested positive for coronavirus to ask them to take part in a survey about the impact the virus had on them.

Public Health Services said the survey, which could be taken online, external, was to "help us to understand the possible healthcare needs of those who have had Covid-19".

Dr Nicola Brink, director of Public Health, said: "Not only will this inform how we tailor services and support to islanders who may contract the SARS-CoV-19 virus in the future, it will give us information on the long-term impact of the virus on individuals."

Information would be treated in the strictest confidence and would not be shared with other States service areas without consent, officials said.

Castle Cornet's Twilight Cinema event is returning from Saturday 22 to Monday 31 August.

The evening will see movies shown outdoors on a big screen on the top lawn at the castle.

Guernsey Education, Sport and Culture Committee President Matt Fallaize said it "was so popular" in 2019 "that we wanted to bring it back to give people the chance to experience watching a film" against a "magical backdrop".

Movies to be shown include, external: World War One epic 1917, local film Sea Donkey, Les Misérables, Downton Abbey and Much Ado About Nothing.

Image source, Twilight Cinema

Rebecca Thorn
BBC News

An air-bridge between Guernsey and Iceland is no longer being actively pursued, Deputy Gavin St Pier has said.

Deputy St Pier said the country had seen an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, meaning discussions were "not progressing".

Similarly, discussions with the Faroe Islands have been halted due to a rise in cases.

Guernsey currently has one air bridge formed with the Isle of Man, allowing residents to travel freely between the two islands without the need to quarantine.

Deputy St Pier said the States would keep an "open-mind" to other jurisdictions "that could potentially form the same relationship".

Rebecca Thorn
BBC News

People travelling to Guernsey via the UK will have to declare if they have been to any other countries in the last 14 days.

Under the new border controls, countries will be categorised into groups A, B and C, based on their quarantine requirement.

It means a person who begins their journey in a Group A country, but travels via the UK, will have to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in Guernsey.

Deputy Gavin St Pier said border staff will use information provided by the person in their traveller registration form to issue advice.

Anyone who makes a false declaration will be committing a criminal offence, he added.

Improvements are due to be made to States technology to aid border staff in looking at arrivals recent travel.

Adam Durbin
BBC News

The four UK nations, Jersey and France would currently be classified as Group B countries, allowing arrivals from there to self-isolate for seven days and be released after a negative test, Dr Nicola Brink has clarified.

The director of Public Health in Guernsey explained they were classifying England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland separately.

Within the UK nations and France there will be regional alerts for places which exceed the Group B threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 people, arrivals from which will be required to self-isolate for the full two weeks, she added.

In an indicative list released by the States, external this currently includes Brittany and the St Malo area.

"Clearly if someone has come from a lockdown area within the UK that will be classified as a Group A."

Dr Brink added they will be "reviewing the countries and regions on a daily basis" using an identified list of data sources, to produce an updated classification list.

The system will also include a warning system online to alert people to areas "which appear to be going in the wrong direction", allowing them to make travel decisions, she added.

Rebecca Thorn
BBC News

Current legislation in Guernsey would not allow the States to adopt a coronavirus vaccine that is being developed in the UK, Deputy Heidi Soulsby has said.

The president of the Committee for Health and Social Care said the vaccine was "highly unlikely" to receive full licensing by the time it was ready.

Therefore, under current laws, the States would not be permitted to vaccinate the island's residents.

As a result, Deputy Soulsby said the HSC would be bringing a draft policy letter to the States to bring about the relevant law changes.

Speaking on the vaccine, she said: "It might be rushed but I think it's important people understand shortcuts aren't being taken."

Adam Durbin
BBC News

The States has approved 24 applications for "business tunnels", allowing same-day visits from off-island travellers for meetings which must take place in person, States chief executive Paul Whitfield said.

He said they had received 35 applications overall, but did not specify how many of these were still awaiting a decision or had been rejected.

Mr Whitfield added the "relatively low" numbers indicated industries understand the "strict" nature of the control measures and were only making applications which met the "essential and critical criteria".

Adam Durbin
BBC News

Those who have been allowed to leave self-isolation after seven days, under the new quarantine rules in place from 17 August, must stick to a "passive follow-up" regime, Dr Nicola Brink has explained.

Those under passive follow up are required to:

• Report any symptoms consistent with Covid-19, returning to self-isolation and arrange for a test if they do
• Not visit the hospital unless for emergency care, when they should notify the hospital if possible
• Check with healthcare services in advance before attending any appointments
• Not visit care and residential homes, unless given permission by the care home manager

Dr Brink explained these rules were "all about protecting the most vulnerable in our community".

Rebecca Thorn
BBC News

The category of a country under Guernsey's new border controls could change depending on the situation of the region, the director of Public Health has said.

Countries will be categorised into Groups A, B, and C based on their quarantine requirements from 17 August.

Dr Brink said these groups could change "at short notice".

She said the States would provide the public with "appropriate information" to ensure they can make "the right decisions for themselves".