October 7, 2020
On Tuesday 6th October 2020, the Government of Jersey hosted a virtual fringe event at the Conservative Party Annual Conference, entitled ‘Testing times: supporting travel and tourism during the pandemic.’ The panel discussion provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Jersey’s on-arrival testing regime, which has allowed protection of public health while at the same time facilitating travel and promoting economy recovery. This Conference event formed part of the Island’s work to engage constructively with UK politicians across the political spectrum.
The discussion was chaired by Senator Ian Gorst, Jersey’s Minister for External Relations. An array of panellists from the UK and Jersey participated, including: Paul Maynard MP, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport; former Transport Committee Member, Henry Smith MP, whose constituency covers London Gatwick Airport; Karen Dee, CEO of the Airport Operators’ Association; Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey; and Dr Ivan Muscat, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Jersey.
The event commenced with a discussion of Jersey’s agile response to the pandemic through an array of measures including Government of Jersey backed ‘lifeline’ flights for necessary travel, comprehensive risk-based airport and port testing, and progressive economic recovery measures such as the Co-Funded Payroll scheme. There was a clear endorsement of Jersey’s current approach to testing and tracing from UK stakeholders. Insights from Jersey’s experience which may be of use to the UK Government, including success in supporting the aviation industry and securing confidence in public health measures, also formed part of the discussion.
Senator Ian Gorst concluded by emphasising the importance of a continued global and coordinated response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted that Jersey would continue to work closely with the UK Government as part of its Covid-19 response and recovery efforts.
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