'We will cope' if winter sees an increasing demand
BBC Radio Guernsey
There are no resourcing issues being anticipated this winter, says Guernsey's coronavirus support line.
Inspector Tony Jones says the service will cope if there is an increase in demand this winter.
"Whatever it throws at us, we will cope with."
There have been reports of long waiting times to reach the helpline, which is manned by four full-time staff.
Earlier in the week, islanders were unable to get through for several hours due to a technical issue.
All UK arrivals require two weeks isolation
Those arriving in Guernsey from anywhere in the UK will need to self-isolate for two weeks from Thursday.
South east and south west England, the Scottish islands and mid Wales have been moved to Group A regions in the States coronavirus safety classifications.
This leaves nowhere within the four countries in Group B, which only requires seven days quarantine for travellers as long as they test negative for Covid-19.
The Civil Contingencies Authority has previously indicated there could be medical exemptions for those attending Southampton hospital. The BBC asked for clarification on this on Tuesday.
States of GuernseyCopyright: States of Guernsey
Black community 'has to speak up to erase racism'
BBC Radio Guernsey
The founder of Guernsey Simba Ngoma, which brings members of the island's African community together, says although Guernsey is quiet, racism is still prevalent on island.
October is Black History Month, which is an opportunity to learn more about African culture - past and present.
Cathy Wanyoike said the bailiwick's black community needed to stand up and speak out, in order to end racism locally.
She said: "If you don't know about racism, you probably wouldn't pick up on it... if we don't speak out, they'll never know what our problems are, so we
have to speak up or we'll never erase racism."
Staycation campaign sees 'mixed results' for hotels
BBC Radio Guernsey
BBCCopyright: BBC
A hotel director in Guernsey says this year's summer staycation campaign has produced mixed results for their hotels.
The campaign hoped to encourage islanders to holiday within the bailiwick while Covid restrictions limited travel elsewhere.
Charlotte Walker says rooms across their three hotels peaked at 28% occupancy over the summer - they normally aim for 80%.
"I suppose people find it strange if you're packing a bag to go around the corner," she told the BBC.
"But the ones who have stayed seemed to have really enjoyed it and booked future dates throughout the season."
The court ruling stated that, from 09:00, the households in La Tour in the north of the island will have their power supply cut off.
John RobinsonCopyright: John Robinson
John Robinson, one resident affected, said the island's Emergency Committee had planned for generators to provide electricity for those left without power, but it was thought they would still be "a few hours blackout".
He said those affected were losing "the most crucial service" as electricity was "not just for heat and light", but also powered water pumps from boreholes and sanitation equipment.
Utility owner Alan Jackson said he hoped there would be as little disruption as possible for the residents concerned, and he and the Emergency Committee had been "working closely together to ensure that the alternative supply... will be in place before any cessation of service takes place".
Quote Message: Our hope is any termination supply will be measured in minutes and certainly not measured in anything longer than that." from Alan Jackson Sark Electricity
Our hope is any termination supply will be measured in minutes and certainly not measured in anything longer than that."
Vigilance call after Asian hornet spotted at Pembroke
Andrew Segal
BBC News
An Asian hornet sighting has been reported to Guernsey authorities after an insect was seen in a restaurant at Pembroke, the States has said.
The sighting on Saturday, the fifth this year, was more than four months since the last one was spotted, officials said.
Although there was a possibility it could have been a single individual that had flown in from France or from one of the other islands, officials said they "cannot rule out the possibility of a late nest in the north of the island that has gone undetected throughout the summer".
They added that the island's Asian Hornet Team would be "trying to locate more hornets around the Pembroke area with the intention of tracking them back to an elusive nest" over the next week.
Francis Russell, project coordinator of the Asian Hornet Strategy, said: "It only takes one missed nest in the autumn for the populations to rapidly increase the year after, so please remain vigilant and report any suspicious-looking insects to the Asian Hornet Team."
The ruling states that from 09:00 on Wednesday, the households in La Tour in the north of the island will have their power supply cut off.
John Robinson, one of the residents affected, said he understood the island's Emergency Committee had planned for generators to provide electricity for those left without power, but it was thought they would still be "a few hours of blackout" and a "lousy solution".
He said: "As
most people know, on Sark electricity is not just for heat and
light, but all our water is pumped from boreholes, and it's needed for sanitation too; so it is
probably the most crucial service.
"It's just this corner of the island this time, but it could be another one in time [following another argument about cables] because once where one
person goes, a few others will go."
Guidance for postal ballots in self-isolation revised
Guidance for completing postal ballots for the island's general election in self-isolation has been revised.
Because there is currently no indication of community seeding of Covid-19, and no requirement for other on-island restrictions, it was not necessary "to ask those self-isolating to keep their postal ballots ‘quarantined’ for 72 hours", the States said.
Anyone self-isolating should continue to use good hand hygiene when handling postal ballots.
Although people could not leave their homes when self-isolating, they could "ask a friend or family member to collect your ballot, provided you don’t come into contact with that person", the States added.
Aurigny move allows one booking for Eastern Airways routes
BBC Radio Guernsey
Aurigny is working on a system to allow people to book connecting flights to a number of global destinations through its website.
The project - expected to be launched by the end of the year - is called Worldwide by Aurigny.
It comes after the airline set-up a partnership with Eastern Airways, which operates a number of routes from Southampton to the rest of the UK.
The States-owned airline said customers will soon be able to book a flight from Guernsey to one of Eastern's destinations in a single transaction on the its website.
Another
benefit of booking in one transaction was that customers avoided the need to pay
UK Air Passenger Duty twice, which is what happened when onward flights were
booked separately.
Work continues to remove 19 Sark homes from power grid
In the latest development in this ongoing dispute, the CEO of Sark Electricity has written in a statement that "feudalism is alive and well" on the island after a decision was made.
The ruling states that from 09:00 on Wednesday, 19 households in La Tour in the north of the island will have their power supply cut off.
Alan Jackson said he can no longer put off the works requested by landowner Sebastien Moerman, who claimed the cabling running underneath his land was dangerous.
A court order was issued to Sark Electricity on Friday to order the removal of the cabling, and works to do so began on Monday.
The responsibility of providing power to these households after Wednesday morning will now fall to the island's government.
South east and west England to move to Group A
The last two regions of England remaining in Group B of the States of Guernsey Covid-19 travel guidance will move to Group A from 8 October.
This means that all arrivals from England after Thursday will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
The north region of Scotland has already moved to Group A, leaving just mid Wales and the Scottish islands in Group B.
However, as part of the Group B watchlist these are likely to change due to rising transmission rates, which would leave arrivals from the entire UK requiring the full two weeks quarantine on arrival.
States of GuernseyCopyright: States of Guernsey
Emergency control centre deals 2,300 calls in a month
Guernsey Police have revealed that the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre dealt with 2,335 calls in September for police, ambulances and the fire service.
Proposals to cut Alderney States' lead committee in half
BBC Radio Guernsey
Four Alderney States members says they want to see the number of people sitting on the government's lead committee cut in half.
The Policy and Finance Committee normally holds all 10 members of the States.
A requete put forward by States member Kevin Gentle and signed by Graham McKinley, Chris Harris and Annie Burgess wants to see the committee be reduced five, consisting of a chairperson and four other members.
Proposer Mr Gentle said it would help the committee be held more accountable within States debates.
Sark residents to be cut off on Wednesday
Nineteen homes in Sark will be indefinitely disconnected from the grid on Wednesday morning, the island's electricity supplier has announced.
Sark Electricity Limited said they were being forced by a court order to cut off the homes at about 09:00 BST as part of the dispute over equipment being removed from private land.
The company added supply was due to be taken on by the island's Medical and Emergency Committee.
A member of Chief Pleas told the BBC the matter will be discussed at a meeting on Monday afternoon.
Guernsey's emergency services are currently dealing with an crash on the Rohais.
They say the road is blocked between Collings Road and the Rohais de Haut.
New support group for those undergoing fertility treatment
BBC Radio Guernsey
A new local support group is being launched to help islanders who are trying to conceive or currently going through fertility treatment.
Organisers behind Guernsey Pineapples said they were aiming to create a network of individuals who were going through the same experiences so they could support one another and share stories in difficult times.
The fertility support group is due to meet monthly, as well as offering a private Facebook community.
Parkinson's charity launches for Guernsey residents
BBC Radio Guernsey
A new charity is launching this week that aims to help connect and help islanders with Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's Guernsey will provide support for sufferers and their family.
Chair, Dr Corral Smith, says the new local charity is going to have a broad range of activities.
"You tell us what you want to do, and we're going to try and do it," she said.
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
States of GuernseyCopyright: States of Guernsey 
BBCCopyright: BBC View more on twitterView more on twitter 
John RobinsonCopyright: John Robinson 
View more on twitterView more on twitter 
View more on twitterView more on twitter 
View more on facebookView more on facebook 
States of GuernseyCopyright: States of Guernsey View more on twitterView more on twitter 
View more on facebookView more on facebook 
View more on twitterView more on twitter 
Latest Post'We will cope' if winter sees an increasing demand
BBC Radio Guernsey
There are no resourcing issues being anticipated this winter, says Guernsey's coronavirus support line.
Inspector Tony Jones says the service will cope if there is an increase in demand this winter.
"Whatever it throws at us, we will cope with."
There have been reports of long waiting times to reach the helpline, which is manned by four full-time staff.
Earlier in the week, islanders were unable to get through for several hours due to a technical issue.
All UK arrivals require two weeks isolation
Those arriving in Guernsey from anywhere in the UK will need to self-isolate for two weeks from Thursday.
South east and south west England, the Scottish islands and mid Wales have been moved to Group A regions in the States coronavirus safety classifications.
This leaves nowhere within the four countries in Group B, which only requires seven days quarantine for travellers as long as they test negative for Covid-19.
The Civil Contingencies Authority has previously indicated there could be medical exemptions for those attending Southampton hospital. The BBC asked for clarification on this on Tuesday.
Black community 'has to speak up to erase racism'
BBC Radio Guernsey
The founder of Guernsey Simba Ngoma, which brings members of the island's African community together, says although Guernsey is quiet, racism is still prevalent on island.
October is Black History Month, which is an opportunity to learn more about African culture - past and present.
Cathy Wanyoike said the bailiwick's black community needed to stand up and speak out, in order to end racism locally.
She said: "If you don't know about racism, you probably wouldn't pick up on it... if we don't speak out, they'll never know what our problems are, so we have to speak up or we'll never erase racism."
Staycation campaign sees 'mixed results' for hotels
BBC Radio Guernsey
A hotel director in Guernsey says this year's summer staycation campaign has produced mixed results for their hotels.
The campaign hoped to encourage islanders to holiday within the bailiwick while Covid restrictions limited travel elsewhere.
Charlotte Walker says rooms across their three hotels peaked at 28% occupancy over the summer - they normally aim for 80%.
"I suppose people find it strange if you're packing a bag to go around the corner," she told the BBC.
"But the ones who have stayed seemed to have really enjoyed it and booked future dates throughout the season."
Covid clinical helpline working again
Sark Electricity boss regrets supply loss to 19 homes
BBC Radio Guernsey
The owner of Sark Electricity says he regrets the actions that will lead to 19 residents losing their electricity on Wednesday.
The households are set to have their power grid supply cut off indefinitely after the energy provider was ordered to remove cabling under a property.
The court ruling stated that, from 09:00, the households in La Tour in the north of the island will have their power supply cut off.
John Robinson, one resident affected, said the island's Emergency Committee had planned for generators to provide electricity for those left without power, but it was thought they would still be "a few hours blackout".
He said those affected were losing "the most crucial service" as electricity was "not just for heat and light", but also powered water pumps from boreholes and sanitation equipment.
Utility owner Alan Jackson said he hoped there would be as little disruption as possible for the residents concerned, and he and the Emergency Committee had been "working closely together to ensure that the alternative supply... will be in place before any cessation of service takes place".
Covid clinical helpline having technical problems
Twitter
Vigilance call after Asian hornet spotted at Pembroke
Andrew Segal
BBC News
An Asian hornet sighting has been reported to Guernsey authorities after an insect was seen in a restaurant at Pembroke, the States has said.
The sighting on Saturday, the fifth this year, was more than four months since the last one was spotted, officials said.
Although there was a possibility it could have been a single individual that had flown in from France or from one of the other islands, officials said they "cannot rule out the possibility of a late nest in the north of the island that has gone undetected throughout the summer".
They added that the island's Asian Hornet Team would be "trying to locate more hornets around the Pembroke area with the intention of tracking them back to an elusive nest" over the next week.
Francis Russell, project coordinator of the Asian Hornet Strategy, said: "It only takes one missed nest in the autumn for the populations to rapidly increase the year after, so please remain vigilant and report any suspicious-looking insects to the Asian Hornet Team."
Anyone who thinks they have spotted an Asian hornet is asked to try to take a photograph and observe which direction it flies, then email the team the sighting details and photo.
Power row Sark residents 'losing the most crucial service'
BBC Radio Guernsey
A Sark resident who is due to be cut off from the power grid on Wednesday morning says islanders are losing "the most crucial service".
Nineteen households on the island are set to have their power cut off indefinitely after island energy provider Sark Electricity was ordered to remove cabling under a landlord's property by law.
The ruling states that from 09:00 on Wednesday, the households in La Tour in the north of the island will have their power supply cut off.
John Robinson, one of the residents affected, said he understood the island's Emergency Committee had planned for generators to provide electricity for those left without power, but it was thought they would still be "a few hours of blackout" and a "lousy solution".
He said: "As most people know, on Sark electricity is not just for heat and light, but all our water is pumped from boreholes, and it's needed for sanitation too; so it is probably the most crucial service.
"It's just this corner of the island this time, but it could be another one in time [following another argument about cables] because once where one person goes, a few others will go."
Guidance for postal ballots in self-isolation revised
Guidance for completing postal ballots for the island's general election in self-isolation has been revised.
Because there is currently no indication of community seeding of Covid-19, and no requirement for other on-island restrictions, it was not necessary "to ask those self-isolating to keep their postal ballots ‘quarantined’ for 72 hours", the States said.
Anyone self-isolating should continue to use good hand hygiene when handling postal ballots.
Although people could not leave their homes when self-isolating, they could "ask a friend or family member to collect your ballot, provided you don’t come into contact with that person", the States added.
Aurigny move allows one booking for Eastern Airways routes
BBC Radio Guernsey
Aurigny is working on a system to allow people to book connecting flights to a number of global destinations through its website.
The project - expected to be launched by the end of the year - is called Worldwide by Aurigny.
It comes after the airline set-up a partnership with Eastern Airways, which operates a number of routes from Southampton to the rest of the UK.
The States-owned airline said customers will soon be able to book a flight from Guernsey to one of Eastern's destinations in a single transaction on the its website.
Another benefit of booking in one transaction was that customers avoided the need to pay UK Air Passenger Duty twice, which is what happened when onward flights were booked separately.
Work continues to remove 19 Sark homes from power grid
BBC Radio Guernsey
Nineteen households in Sark are still due to lose their grid power supply indefinitely from Wednesday after work began on Monday to remove cabling.
It comes after the island's energy provider was ordered to remove cabling under a landlord's property by law.
In the latest development in this ongoing dispute, the CEO of Sark Electricity has written in a statement that "feudalism is alive and well" on the island after a decision was made.
The ruling states that from 09:00 on Wednesday, 19 households in La Tour in the north of the island will have their power supply cut off.
Alan Jackson said he can no longer put off the works requested by landowner Sebastien Moerman, who claimed the cabling running underneath his land was dangerous.
A court order was issued to Sark Electricity on Friday to order the removal of the cabling, and works to do so began on Monday.
The responsibility of providing power to these households after Wednesday morning will now fall to the island's government.
South east and west England to move to Group A
The last two regions of England remaining in Group B of the States of Guernsey Covid-19 travel guidance will move to Group A from 8 October.
This means that all arrivals from England after Thursday will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
The north region of Scotland has already moved to Group A, leaving just mid Wales and the Scottish islands in Group B.
However, as part of the Group B watchlist these are likely to change due to rising transmission rates, which would leave arrivals from the entire UK requiring the full two weeks quarantine on arrival.
Emergency control centre deals 2,300 calls in a month
Guernsey Police have revealed that the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre dealt with 2,335 calls in September for police, ambulances and the fire service.
Proposals to cut Alderney States' lead committee in half
BBC Radio Guernsey
Four Alderney States members says they want to see the number of people sitting on the government's lead committee cut in half.
The Policy and Finance Committee normally holds all 10 members of the States.
A requete put forward by States member Kevin Gentle and signed by Graham McKinley, Chris Harris and Annie Burgess wants to see the committee be reduced five, consisting of a chairperson and four other members.
Proposer Mr Gentle said it would help the committee be held more accountable within States debates.
Sark residents to be cut off on Wednesday
Nineteen homes in Sark will be indefinitely disconnected from the grid on Wednesday morning, the island's electricity supplier has announced.
Sark Electricity Limited said they were being forced by a court order to cut off the homes at about 09:00 BST as part of the dispute over equipment being removed from private land.
The company added supply was due to be taken on by the island's Medical and Emergency Committee.
A member of Chief Pleas told the BBC the matter will be discussed at a meeting on Monday afternoon.
Clinical helpline 'inundated with calls'
Andrew Segal
BBC News
Staff at Guernsey's clinical helpline have been "inundated with calls", the States has confirmed.
The island's government tweeted that winter illnesses on top of the Covid pandemic had caused an increase in queries.
It said: "As always at this time of year, there are lots of other winter bugs around which means you might have symptoms similar to Covid-19."
It added that callers should "please bear with us, we will answer your call as soon as we can".
Rohais blocked after crash
Guernsey's emergency services are currently dealing with an crash on the Rohais.
They say the road is blocked between Collings Road and the Rohais de Haut.
New support group for those undergoing fertility treatment
BBC Radio Guernsey
A new local support group is being launched to help islanders who are trying to conceive or currently going through fertility treatment.
Organisers behind Guernsey Pineapples said they were aiming to create a network of individuals who were going through the same experiences so they could support one another and share stories in difficult times.
The fertility support group is due to meet monthly, as well as offering a private Facebook community.
Parkinson's charity launches for Guernsey residents
BBC Radio Guernsey
A new charity is launching this week that aims to help connect and help islanders with Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's Guernsey will provide support for sufferers and their family.
Chair, Dr Corral Smith, says the new local charity is going to have a broad range of activities.
"You tell us what you want to do, and we're going to try and do it," she said.