Reform Jersey Deputy Rob Ward – a former teacher who recently confirmed he would be standing for the vacant Children’s and Education Minister role – called for the government to provide parents and students with ‘clarity’ regarding the need to isolate if identified as a direct contact of someone with Covid.
Earlier this week it was announced that direct contacts who had been fully vaccinated would not be required to isolate after they had received a negative day-zero test result.
The second Covid vaccine must have been administered at least two weeks before the contact to be exempt from isolation requirements.
Meanwhile, a decision on whether children who are identified as direct contacts will still be forced to isolate is expected to be made next week.
Deputy Ward said: ‘I think there needs to be absolute clarity in terms of the reason why somebody is isolating.
‘We also need to take a look at the testing regime to see if there is a way to reduce the time that children have to isolate. Isolation does not necessarily mean they are infected; it just means they are a contact.’
The Deputy also questioned whether transition days – on which children have the opportunity to meet their new class and teacher – should take place this year, as they could bring a mix of different students together.
He said: ‘When you look at the demographic of who is spreading the virus, it appears that it is the unvaccinated population, who happen to be the younger generation. The good news is that we don’t seem to be having many hospitalisations.’
This week it was revealed that there had been no Covid-related hospital admissions for three months.
Deputy Ward said: ‘The government needs to be very clear on the policy of what we are hoping to achieve, and the reasons behind the isolation requirements. I think that, if the reason for isolation is a health risk that has been identified, then that risk needs to be made clear. Because if it is the right decision, then we need to be putting things, such as online learning, in place.
‘If we do not get a handle on this soon, then we could have large numbers of children and families in isolation at the beginning of the holidays and that is the last thing that we want.’
