Is Guernsey The 1st place in British isles to reopen all primary & senior schools

[Pollyputthepizzaon]

So Guernsey are reopening all schools from nursery age up to and including college for all year groups, full time as of 8th June (a few are going on 1st June as a phased start)

Is this the first place in the British isles to do so? Wondering about Shetland and Isle of Skye or Isle of Man.

For info guernsey has a population of 60,000. It hasn’t had a positive case for 23 days now and only 2 active cases left on island, both isolated.

Interesting.

Island communities can be vulnerable; Skye has lots of cases in a care home so wouldn't have thought so.

Skye is part of Scotland and will follow the Scottish rules. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are administered separately and can make their own decisions.

They have 14 days quarantine for all arrivals in the island.

That makes a difference too

I’m in Guernsey. Our Government imposed a fairly strict lockdown very early on, including 14 day quarantine for all arrivals. It seems to have been a great success and we are now 23 days with no new cases and only 2 active cases remaining. We had to lock down fast and hard, due to the island infrastructure. There is only one hospital, which needed to be protected. From next weekend we are essentially in a whole island bubble, so within the island life can operate as normal (although no pubs and clubs yet), and schools reopen full time on 8th June.

An excellent example of how to manage the pandemic.

In guernsey they had a proper lockdown too. No takeaways, window cleaners, builders still working etc. An absolute lockdown except 2 hours exercise.

In the U.K. they said if you can’t work from home you can still work. So takeaways were open, some cleaners were still going to work - I mean millions of people can’t work from home. It wasn’t an actual lockdown although the press called it that. It was social distancing++

Guernsey also were third in the world I think for testing per capita. And they contact traced every single case religiously.

But as soon as Guernsey opens back up they risk letting the virus back in, don't they?

Of course Guernsey could stay in its own self isolated bubble forever but wouldn't it be a bit stuffed without the tourist industry?

Finance industry brings in much more than tourism, but yes, can’t stay closed for ever.

I think tho that if they carry on their aggressive test, quarantine, trace tactic they can keep the r value low enough to carry on fine even with some relaxed borders.

No ones going to go on holiday there though, if they have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival. At some point the guernsey tourism industry are going to be pushing hard to open up.