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  1. End of our live coverage

    Enjoy your Easter weekend and we'll be back with more live coverage on Tuesday.

    Remember to keep social distancing and stay home, stay safe.

  2. More than £1.5m paid out in financial support

    More than £1.5m has been paid to Guernsey people and businesses in government support schemes, the States of Guernsey has announced.

    Unemployment and sickness benefit, income support and the newly-established hardship fund claims have contributed to about £800,000 to more than 1,000 islanders, the States said.

    The government has also approved 156 grants at the cost of £468,000 to small businesses in the first week of the scheme's operation.

    The payroll co-funding scheme, where the States pay 80% of Guernsey's minimum wage of £8.50 an hour, and employers top up the remainder, has paid out more than £100,000 across 24 applications.

    On top of active financial support to individuals and businesses, the States confirmed more than £3.4m worth of tax deferrals had been approved, from 877 claims.

    Vice-President of the Policy and Resources Committee Lyndon Trott said the government was "doing all we can" to support businesses and people in financial strain.

    Deputy Trott said: "We’ve worked quickly to bring in the measures, we are already making payments and we are looking at what more we need to do.

    "After listening to the concerns from certain parts of the business community, we’ve expanded the sectors eligible for support through the payroll co-funding scheme."

    Businesses and individuals can find more information about available support on the States website.

  3. Co-op ends double dividend in bid to space out shoppers

    Co-op stamps

    The double dividend promotion run by the Channel Islands Co-operative Society on Tuesdays and Wednesdays has been cancelled "until further notice".

    Members normally receive 4p into their account for every £1 spent, with 4p and £1 stamps issued during double dividend promotions, which once enough were collected could be used to pay for goods.

    Instead from Tuesday the society, which businesses include supermarkets, convenience stores, a travel agent, a funeral directors and pharmacies in the islands, will include an extra 1p in every £1 spent.

    Mark Cox, acting chief executive officer, said: "We know how much our members love ‘double divi’ by collecting stamps and we have been finding many are still choosing to do their essential shopping on our double dividend days.

    "By providing a bonus dividend every day, we hope to discourage this focus on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and ensure that islanders can shop as safely as possible every day of the week."

    The additional money will be added to members’ share accounts on 1 July.

    The group has also announced a 10% bonus in May for its front line staff for "their continued hard work in helping to supply our island communities with food and pharmacy items".

    Mr Cox said: "All society colleagues have gone above and beyond in recent weeks, during a very difficult time, and we wanted to thank our fantastic colleagues."

  4. Tissues and paper towels must not be included in recycling

    Gurensey residents are being asked to make sure they dispose of tissues and paper towels in with their general rubbish, and not with their recycling.

    A States spokesman said they not only are they not recyclable but if used to catch a cough or sneeze or to blow someone's nose can spread infections including coronavirus.

    Paper and cardboard from kerbside collections is separated by hand, while general rubbish is mechanically baled and wrapped ahead of export.

    The spokesman said: "Items that can be recycled in clear kerbside bags are newspapers, magazines, telephone directories, printer and copier paper, mail, envelopes, catalogues and shredded paper... [and] most cardboard."

    Exceptions are items contaminated with food, such as ready meal containers or takeaway boxes, and single use drink cups, which should go into general waste.

    Cardboard based milk, food, and juice cartons should go in blue kerbside bags, as they contain other materials and go through a different recycling process.

    More information can be found at www.gov.gg/mybinnight.

  5. Scallop diving not allowed during lockdown

    Scuba divers should stay above water during the lockdown as Guernsey's hyperbaric chamber is closed, President of Health and Social Care Heidi Soulsby has said.

    Following reports of islanders going diving for scallops, Deputy Soulsby said the undersea activity is "clearly" banned under sanctioned exercise.

    She said: "We are not going to open [the chamber] up for somebody who has decided 'well I don't care, I'm going to go diving anyway', we can't do that.

    "So people need to think very carefully about what they do."

  6. Sixty cases from two Guernsey care homes

    There have so far been 60 cases of coronavirus linked to two care homes in Guernsey, director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink has confirmed.

    One care home had 16 residents and 18 staff members test positive for Covid-19.

    Dr Brink said they were planning to retest everyone inside the home over the next few days.

    She said: "It continues to remain challenging, Health and Social Care has put in both nurses and health care assistants to assist."

    Dr Brink also confirmed the second care home has 13 each of residents and staff who contract the virus.

    Both homes have been given access to protective equipment by the Public in order to address their "needs", she added.

    Dr Brink said the number of cases in the two clusters showed how "vulnerable" care homes are to an outbreak and it was really important to "protect" both residents and staff by banning visitors at this time.

    "That was one of the reasons why the extremely difficult decision with regard to visiting was made," she added.

  7. Electricity supply 'secure' during crisis

    Electricity and other utility supplies in Guernsey are "secure" during the coronavirus crisis, States chief executive Paul Whitfield has assured islanders.

    Mr Whitfield said "resilience" was built into all critical infrastructure and utility companies were operating to ensure continuity of supply.

    He emphasised the island's undersea cable link to France provides a very "secure and resilient link to sustainable power resources".

    Mr Whitfield said: "Given the spring time of year, almost the entirety of our electricity supply is taken from that resource.

    "We've also got backup generators and, in fact, we can run the islands power supply at this time of the year without the use of all our emergency generation."

    Guernsey Electricity revealed demand for electricity fell by up to 10% once the lockdown measure came into force.

  8. 'Sunbathing is not the issue' for police

    Islanders sunbathing alone during the lockdown is not the "issue" with ensuring the measures are adhered to, Guernsey's most senior policeman has said.

    Head of law enforcement Ruari Hardy said their approach was to ensure people understood what the measures are "actually about".

    It follows a social media post from police seemingly targetting sunbathing.

    Mr Hardy said: "The issue is being out in public where you may potentially come into contact with other people, and you may potentially transfer or pick up the virus.

    "If people are sitting on the beach, in absolute isolation in the sun, as part of their time out there's very little we can do about that.

    "But if people are starting to congregate, meet people and breach those guidelines, then that is a matter for us to engage and stop."

    Mr Hardy said the police couldn't "dictate" to people what they can do "within the rules and guidance".

    "But we need people to understand that they don't want to put themselves, their families or others at risk by having social interaction."

    He added law enforcement would "use common sense" in their approach to the lockdown and asked the public to do the same.

  9. 'Do not delay' seeking non-coronavirus medical help

    Islanders with non-coronavirus related medical concerns should not delay speaking to their doctor, Guernsey's director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink has said.

    Dr Brink said it was often possible to assess the urgency of medical treatment through "remote consultation" via phone or video link.

    She added one of her "main concerns" was people with "acute medical problems" that need to be dealt with as soon as possible, might not get the care they need if they don't seek help.

    Dr Brink said: "What I don't want to see is people delaying seeing a doctor and then presenting possibly too late for an intervention to occur.

    "I think whilst we are very, very focused on Covid-19, we are congnisant that there are a lot of issues that aren't going to go away.

    "Some of them can wait, but some of them need to dealt with acutely."

  10. Visitor ban to protect 'vulnerable' care homes

    Bans on visits to care homes and the hospital in Guernsey have been introduced because they are "so vulnerable" to coronavirus, Deputy Heidi Soulsby has explained.

    The president of the Committee for Health and Social Care said they had to be "careful", because a visit from someone with the virus but no symptoms could "impact" every resident of the home.

    The statement was in response to a question about end-of life visits to elderly care home residents, unrelated to Covid-19, after the States introduced a ban on visits.

    Deputy Soulsby said the ban was under "constant review", but it was currently necessary.

    She said: "It's so difficult and I really do feel for families."

    Mrs Soulsby said the care homes can help families use technological solutions, like video calls, to help families communicate with their loved ones.

    She assured islanders that care home residents, or patients in the hospital suffering from coronavirus and who cannot be visited, would not die alone.

    "This is where the nurses and carers come into their own and will give that support at the end of life."

  11. 'What is two hours exercise?'

    Delancey Park
    Image caption: An almost empty Delancey Park

    Guernsey's most senior politician has emphasised the importance of recognising different people's perceptions of what constitutes exercise and avoid being "judgemental".

    Chairman of the Civil Contingency Authority Gavin St Pier recognised some islanders concerns about seeing people on beaches, but said it was important to acknowledge the efforts of the majority to stick to social distancing directions when outside.

    Deputy St Pier said: "What it really speaks to is this question of interpretation, this idea that people can go out and take two hours exercise.

    "My idea of what is two hours exercise might be very different.

    "I might chose to go for a run and somebody else might chose to go out of their front door for a stroll and sit on a wall for a bit before they go home."

    He added the regulations were to allow people who are "cooped up" for 22 hours a day "to get out and get some fresh air" and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

    Mr St Pier added: "We all need to think 'what is the objective here?'.

    "It is about maintaining social distance and minimising journeys."

  12. Nearly 400 teaching staff working over Easter

    Nearly 400 school staff in Guernsey and Alderney volunteered to continue to work over the Easter holidays to support vulnerable students and the children of essential workers, the States chief executive has said.

    Paul Whitfield praised their work as "vital" in support of the island's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

    He said by the children of key workers going to school it freed up those workers on the frontline keeping the island running during the crisis.

  13. 'Shielding' advice reiterated by Public Health

    Primary care medical staff are "particularly concerned" with the identification of patients who are shielding, Guernsey's director of Public Health has said.

    Shielding is the process of protecting "particularly vulnerable" people, including those receiving chemotherapy, anyone with severe respiratory problems and other underlying medical conditions.

    Dr Nicola Brink said she expected these people would need to self-isolate for about three months.

    GPs surgeries are attempting to identify and inform people who should be shielding through their own records by sending them a letter with guidance.

    Dr Brink said islanders who believed they should be shielding, but had not received a letter from their doctor, should get in touch with their surgery as soon as possible.

    She said: "It is really important, because [GPs] are very anxious they give the appropriate care and advice to you."

    Dr Brink added information and advice about who should be shielding and how to go about it is also available on the States website.

  14. 'Presumptive deaths' give clearer picture of virus spread

    Public Health has introduced a new category in its coronavirus figures - "presumptive deaths".

    This category describes people who are believed to have died after contracting Covid-19, but either previously tested negative or were not checked.

    Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said she felt it was "really important" to include these cases to ensure their data was as complete as possible.

    Dr Brink recognised there was a risk of over-counting cases without diagnostic confirmation of the virus, but said she would rather overestimate the numbers to get "as clear a picture as we can".

    "This is different to what is being reported in the UK, we're reporting confirmed and presumptive cases," she added.

    The island's government is currently reporting five coronavirus-related deaths and two presumptive deaths.

  15. Latest Guernsey coronavirus numbers

    Public Health has confirmed 191 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Guernsey, five of whom are being cared for in hospital.

    None of the five are being treated in intensive care.

    Director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink said "encouragingly" the number of recovered people was up to 40.

  16. No plans to further tighten travel restrictions

    There are no plans to tighten the travel restrictions in place in Guernsey, as current controls are "effective and appropriate" to protect islanders, the States has said.

    Public Health Services described new restrictions, such as requiring permission to travel, as "unnecessary".

    Further control mechanisms would be "complex to administer", in particular for anyone arriving from outside of Guernsey, the government added.

    Such measures could also carry "significant legal implications", including the requirement for an appeals mechanism, which could be "complicated and time-consuming".

    Currently, anyone arriving in the Bailiwick is legally required to self-isolate for 14 days, other than critical workers who are exempt.

    Not complying with the mandatory self-isolation period is a criminal offence.

    Dornier plane

    The number of passengers travelling to and from the islands has "fallen dramatically" over the last three weeks, the States said.

    There is now just one daily flight between Guernsey and Southampton and passenger ferry operations are suspended until mid-May.

    Between 2 and 8 April just 141 passengers arrived in Guernsey, about one third of whom were from Alderney, and the majority of other arrivals are thought to be islanders returning home, they added.

    Others travellers are receiving medical treatment, either in the UK or Guernsey for Alderney residents.

    Other than its daily Southampton flight, Aurigny is only operating a twice daily service between Guernsey and Alderney, six days a week.

    This is to facilitate essential work in Alderney and to allow people to attend urgent medical appointments which cannot be done by video conference, the States added.

  17. More than 100 former carers apply for temporary work

    Guernsey's health authorities have had an "amazing response" to a call for those with previous experience in caring to apply for temporary paid employment.

    Community Services and the Guernsey Care Home Association are coordinating a "rapid recruitment programme".

    A statement said "the same rigour" as normal would be applied to "recruitment selection and induction of essential skills".

    It said: "Recruitment to these additional roles will ensure safe care can continue while there is added workload pressures and reduced staffing."

    Anyone who has former worked as a carer can apply on 725241 ext 3313 or by email vicky.trench@gov.gg

  18. Hospital visits ended with some end of life exceptions

    All visits to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, Mignot Memorial Hospital, Oberlands, the Lighthouse Wards and care homes in the Bailiwick of Guernsey have been stopped "where possible".

    Visits were restricted to patients on end-of-life care and the maternity and children's wards last month.

    Now end-of-life visits will be individually assessed to ensure they can be "safely accommodated".

    No visits will be allowed to care homes.

    Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey

    Family and friends are advised to contact hospital wards and homes directly for advice about ways to maintain contact, including the delivery of essential supplies and gifts.

    "This is a decision that has not been taken lightly and one which has been considered by the Bailiwick Ethics Committee," said Dermot Mullin, director of Hospital and Adult Community Care Services.

    He said: "We are recommending the use of both old and new technology to keep in contact.

    "Exchanging letters or cards with your loved ones is still a great way to keep in touch.

    "Both the hospital and care homes can support connection using mobile phones or tablets to enable video and audio calls."

    The arrangements are due to be reviewed on a "very regular basis".

  19. Schools asked to provide grades for students

    Schools and colleges in Guernsey are being asked by the States to provide a grade for each A-Level and GCSE student, rather than have them sit exams.

    The move follows guidance published by exams regulator Ofqual, which aims to judge the grade students are most likely to have achieved, the Committee for Education Sport and Culture (ESC) said.

    It will be based on evidence held by schools and colleges and reviewed by subject teachers and heads of department.

    Schools and colleges also have to provide a rank order of students to support Ofqual's approach to awarding final grades to individuals.

    This is to ensure that the overall distribution of grades follows a similar profile to previous years, ESC added.

    The same guidelines will be followed for GCSE and A-Level students.

    Similar principles are being applied for international examinations, but there are some differences in detail, the committee said.

    This process does not apply to general, technical and vocational qualifications.

    Ofqual said the same aims would apply and it committed to developing an approach for those qualifications as soon as possible.

    ESC said parents and carers of home schooled children due to sit GCSE exams this summer are asked to discuss the best way forward with the school where their child was due to be examined.

    The committee's president Deputy Matt Fallaize acknowledged the situation was "less than ideal", but added they must support students "affected by these unavoidable circumstances".

    He said: "These are unprecedented times and students who have been preparing for these exams must be reassured that this process will be objective, fair and will not result in them losing out."

  20. 'Think twice' before open sea activities

    Islanders have been urged to "think twice" before taking part in open sea activities in new guidance issued by the States of Guernsey.

    The current lockdown restrictions allow for two hours of exercise daily, including sea swimming and other marine activities.

    The States said people should avoid these if they are inexperienced, while those with experience should take "extreme care and consider any and all safety precautions".

    The government also clarified ormering is considered a "risky exercise" and therefore it is "not the time" to try gathering the local mollusc for the first time.

    Sea Fisheries officers have an obligation to police the activity, as there are strict regulations over the size that can be collected and how they are found.

    Ladies Bay

    Whilst they will be monitoring ormering as normal, social distancing requirements will make the process "more difficult", the States added.

    A States spokesman said: "If we add into the mix people who don’t understand how to ormer and those who are trying it for the first time we are putting our front-line officers at unnecessary risk."

    Recreational fishing from land is also permitted as an open sea activity, fishing from a boat is "not advised", the States said.

    Islanders taking part in open sea activities requiring a second person for safety reasons should attempt to do so with a member of their household.

    If that is not possible, people can go with someone they do not live with provided that social distancing is maintained, the States confirmed.