COVID-19 pandemic in Jersey
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Bailiwick of Jersey was part of a global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case in Jersey was confirmed on 10 March 2020 when a person tested positive on the island after returning from Italy.
This article is about cases in the British Crown dependency. For the U.S. state, see COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey.The Government of Jersey's strategy after lockdown was "suppress, contain and shield."[2] This involved delaying the spread of the virus, avoiding vulnerable people from catching it, helping the island's health service cope with the number of people requiring hospital care and saving as many lives as possible.[3] It acknowledged that many islanders would become infected, and sought to ensure that the best possible medical care was available to them.
Overview of response[edit]
Strategy[edit]
Jersey is a self-governing Crown Dependency of the UK. Jersey's response has been entirely independent of that of the UK, however the island's response to the virus has at times been similar to that of the UK.
Jersey's response is led by the Government of Jersey and overseen by the Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré, Health Minister Deputy Richard Renouf and Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Ivan Muscat. Jersey's COVID-19 strategy has been to "delay, contain and shield" the virus. The present strategy is the "Covid-19 Winter Strategy".[2]
The strategy has been criticised by some with comparisons drawn to neighbouring Guernsey's response. Guernsey pursued an elimination strategy and has had less restrictions than Jersey since the summer, however has had much tighter border restrictions. Because of this, Guernsey has had fewer cases and deaths and has not experienced the large second wave Jersey did. The head of Jersey Business said it was not useful to draw comparisons between the islands since they have different economies.[77]