“Currently, the Government is not proposing further restrictions, but this situation is being closely monitored,” Minister of Health Kim Wilson said, adding that “everyone must take responsibility for their actions.”
The current restrictions include aspects such as mask wearing, testing on arrival to the island, quarantine rules for unvaccinated people, and larger events have to get an exemption which generally requires the use of SafeKey.
Overall, the restrictions are less than they were throughout most of the pandemic, with the first restrictions implemented 18 months ago, and the island being under a curfew for most the time until June 2020.
Speaking at last night’s [Aug 12] press conference, Minister Wilson said, “Currently, the Government is not proposing further restrictions, but this situation is being closely monitored. This means everyone must take responsibility for their actions. No one wants to see a surge in coronavirus cases, and especially hospitilisations and deaths.
“I will continue to remind you that the Delta variant is highly transmissible, and it is critical that everyone, vaccinated or not, gets back to the basics. Wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene and keep physically distanced from those not in your household.
“When you travel you must be extremely vigilant. It is obvious that many residents are getting infected in other countries, and then returning home. Fortunately, most travellers are fully vaccinated. Remember: mask wearing is just as important when you travel off the island as it is when you are here on island.
“Businesses also need to get back to the basics and ensure that adequate hand sanitiser is readily available and proper contact tracing is strictly maintained. I will remind the business community that this is not voluntary; it is a requirement, and enforcement action may be taken against businesses that do not comply.“
