Alderney's fiscal union with Guernsey is "more important than ever" for the island's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the States of Alderney has been told.

James Dent, the island's most senior politician, told members the crisis has "thrown all of the plans we were making in 2019 into disarray".

He said: "Our major challenge for this year will be a credible recovery plan.

"We need to work closely with Guernsey to make sure we can access the funds we need for any capital investments that recovery will require, and invest for the future of our island."

Commenting on the States accounts, Mr Dent described 2019 as a "satisfactory year" with a modest surplus similar to that of the previous year

However, he acknowledged the the £1.88m cash allocation from Guernsey was a little lower in real terms than previous years and there was reduced surpluses from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) in 2019 .

However, Mr Dent argued the drop in AGCC revenue might be halted or reversed, given the attractive position the regulatory body would hold after Brexit.

He said a review of the 1948 Agreement, which governs the arrangements between Guernsey and Alderney and was set in place to help Alderney recover following World War Two, had been put on hold.

An association of Guernsey businesses has welcomed the States "revive and thrive" strategy for recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Guernsey International Business Association (GIBA) described the document as a "first step", but emphasised it also highlighted the "scale of the challenge" facing the Bailiwick.

GIBA chairman Tony Mancini said the crisis offered an "opportunity for our government to think and work differently" and make "bold decisions".

He said: "As a jurisdiction competitiveness is critical and, as the strategy highlights, transport connectivity, digital advancement and investment in infrastructure are essential.

However, he argued that while "diversification of the economy" is important, support should be given to the finance industry as the island's "main economic enabler".

"We now have an opportunity to build back better and thrive as we have the opportunity for the economy to prosper.

"There’s no choice between business or the community - we are one."

Mr Mancini also expressed GIBA's support for the States’ environmental strategy, including the recent energy strategy, which targets becoming a "zero carbon" emissions jurisdiction by 2050.

Once the islands enter phase five of the States exit from lockdown, the only remaining restrictions on islanders will be border controls.

Anyone arriving in the Bailiwick will still be required to quarantine for two weeks to help prevent the chance of reintroducing coronavirus to the community, the States explained.

Phase six of the plans has been described as the "return to global community" as part of the "post-pandemic era", external, but how will this come about?

On top of clear evidence of a continued robust testing regime and no unexplained transmissions of the virus, the States have emphasised the importance of two key factors:

• A vaccine has become available
• Or if Public Health determine Covid-19 "no longer poses a significant threat to the health and wellbeing of islanders"

Image source, States of Guernsey

With the end of social distancing and the beginning of the 'Bailiwick bubble' on 20 June, the States has clarified how a return to phase four could come about.

Among the conditions for a rollback of lockdown restrictions, external are a reappearance of unexplained cases or clusters of Covid-19, a rise in hospital admissions for the disease or problems with the capacity for on-island testing.

Image source, States of Guernsey

BBC Radio Guernsey

Antibody testing for Covid-19 will begin in Guernsey next week.

The test is used to detect whether a person has previously had the virus.

The head of Guernsey's Public Health Services, Dr Nicola Brink, says testing will start with those who have been on the front line.

They will also be offered to people who showed symptoms of the virus in March and April, but could not be tested due to the limited number of samples Guernsey could send to the UK.

It had been announced they were due to start this week and no reason for the delay has been given.

BBC Radio Guernsey

A man who was due to run a jungle ultramarathon through the Amazon has decided to run the 230km around Guernsey instead.

This week David Becker was meant to be running from Manu National Park in Peru, through the Andes to the border of Bolivia.

The event has had to be delayed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Becker has been covering the total distance of the course over five days, as he would have done in the Amazon, including a 33k run on Sunday, and an 85k on Thursday.

"I've really been trying to run those distances everyday and try to run through as many parts of Guernsey as possible to achieve that," he said.

The new website for "staycation" accommodation, restaurants and activities in Guernsey has been visited more than 12,000 since launching last week, the States has revealed.

The initiative was launched to encourage islanders to spend their money at hospitality and tourism businesses in the Bailiwick, as going abroad for holiday at the moment is very challenging.

So far, 108 businesses are participating, external and have already listed 56 offers for people to take advantage of on the website, the States added.

Islanders looking for places to stay and things to do also clicked through to the individual websites of hospitality businesses more than 9,000 times.

News about the development of a coronavirus vaccine is "slightly more encouraging" than previously thought, Dr Nicola Brink said.

Guernsey's director of Public Health said early indications were the earliest a vaccine could be developed was between January and July 2021, but there was a "possibility it might be earlier than that".

Dr Brink said: "We're looking at what a vaccine would look like in Bailiwick.

She said Public Health had established a "dedicated vaccine group", which was considering how it would be administered and required equipment, including the necessary cold storage.

"We've already started working on that, because if a vaccine becomes available we don't want to start working on the logistics of it, we want to be ready.

"It's more hopeful than it was, but it's by no means a done deal," Dr Brink cautioned.

Unplanned visits to Guernsey's care homes will be considered as the island enters phase five, Dr Nicola Brink confirmed.

Phase four rules allow visits to residents with appointments, a requirement the States will consider removing after a risk assessment is carried out.

Dr Brink said: "I think it's really important that we consider all these things together, but also acknowledge that we know people over 70, and certainly over 80, are really vulnerable."

The States is no longer telling people they need to work from home in phase five, Deputy Heidi Soulsby confirmed.

The president of the Committee for Health and Social Care said there was "no public health risk" stopping people going back into an office.

Deputy Soulsby confirmed there was still a small risk of having to roll back controls, but they were "mitigating" the likelihood with border controls and the test, trace and isolate system.

However, she did emphasise that some businesses may decide to continue having some people staying at home as it "works for them better".

Mrs Soulsby said: "For some individuals working from home might, in terms of their own life and requirements, make more sense.

"It is an opportunity for businesses to revisit how they work and how they can support their employees as well."

The requirement for patients to self-isolate for two weeks before operations is being examined by Guernsey's Medical Director Dr Peter Rabey, Public Health have confirmed.

However, the requirement to self-isolate before going to Southampton is defined by NHS England rules, rather than the States.

Addressing the need vulnerable for people to continue shielding Dr Nicola Brink said it was not a "one size fits all" decision.

She said: "I think there needs to be a degree of personal decision making in consultation with the person's doctor."

"[People shielding] might feel 'I don't actually want to sit by myself in a room indefinitely'."

"I'd advise people to consider their condition, to discuss it with their doctor and make a decision on the basis of that."

Deputy Gavin St Pier has argued Guernsey is "in a position to hold an early election".

The election was due to be held this month, but was pushed back by the pandemic to June 2021.

The States has already agreed to review holding the election in November, but Mr St Pier argued there was a "window" to possibly hold this sooner.

He said: "There may be a second phase that we need to prepare for, but clearly we're in a good place now.

"We should go on and hold [the election] and that will allow us to reset and decide how we want to drive this community forward over the next four years."

Public Health thinks Guernsey will be able to cope with "small clusters" of Covid-19 cases, Dr Nicola Brink said.

She said: "We have our on-island testing, we have our very well proven track and trace system.

"That's a 24/7 service, so we aim to start contact tracing within an hour of getting a positive result."

She added the increased connectivity of phase five meant they were "expecting" to see more cases, but the service was "ready and waiting" for this eventuality.

Testing for coronavirus on arrival at Guernsey Airport or port is not that useful, according to director of Public Health Dr Nicola Brink.

She explained that because the incubation period of the virus is two to 14 days, anyone infected in transit to the island would not be picked up by the tests.

Dr Brink said: "You will miss 100% of those cases if you test them on day one.

"The most risky part is the passage through public transport, sitting in the airport with people from other destinations, perhaps being on a crowded train to come to the airport."

Guernsey will not recommend the use of "immunity passports", which would allow people who have recovered from Covid-19 and built up antibodies to travel more extensively, Dr Nicola Brink said.

The director of Public Health said the system was not approved by most international bodies she engages with, including the World Health Organisation or Public Health England.

Dr Brink said: "We simply don't know whether the presence of antibodies means someone is immune to an infection."

Some States of Guernsey offices will reopen where online services cannot be provided at all or to an "acceptable standard", chief executive Paul Whitfield has announced.

Mr Whitfield said the civil service had been using the pandemic as an opportunity to "take stock and prioritise" the provision of in-person services.

He said: "Most notably, Driver and Vehicle Licencing will be open to the public from this Monday."

Some areas of the government would move to an appointment-based service, rather than drop in, Mr Whitfield added.

Deputy Gavin St Pier has reminded islanders to continue to abide by social distancing and other Public Health rules from phase four for the next eight days.

On 20 June the island will enter phase five, lifting all lockdown restrictions apart from border controls and some self-isolation requirements.

Mr St Pier said: "If you can, continue to work from home as I and the States will be doing."

He reiterated that islanders should stay at home if they feel unwell and abide by good hygiene practices, like regular hand washing.

"These are the public health messages that will not change in phase five, they will not change in phase six, and they very much are our new normal that we all need to get used to."

A Black Lives Matter protest in Guernsey due to be held on Saturday has been postponed by a week, to coincide with the beginning of the return to the "new normal", Guernsey Police have revealed.

The Bailiwick's most senior police officer thanked the organisers of the protest for agreeing to delay after "listening to the advice from Public Health."

Head of law enforcement Ruari Hardy expressed understanding for those who wished to express their support for the global racial equality movement.

Mr Hardy said: "I think we all stand alongside those people across the globe who were appalled and horrified at the way George Floyd lost his life, and we all wish to see justice and accountability follow."

Deputy Gavin St Pier also thanked the organisers for co-operating with police and Public Health, acknowledging the issue they were "seeking to highlight is hugely important".

"I know from my own engagement with local victims of discrimination in the last 10 days or so, it's sadly very real and actually very present in our own community.

"But it is not an issue that is no going to be solved in a week, so I'd like to commend the organisers for their decision," Mr St Pier added.

Guernsey will be one of the first places in the world to remove all lockdown restrictions from the coronavirus, Deputy Gavin St Pier has said.

He said it was a "huge testament" and a "reward" for the efforts showed by the community during the pandemic.

This included sacrifices made by the population over the last three months, "for which we can all celebrate and be rightly proud", Mr St Pier said.

He added that he hoped the move into phase five of the exit framework would allow some cancelled events, such as weddings, to go ahead in the coming months.

The island follows New Zealand, which lifted all Covid restrictions and declared the nation virus-free on 8 June.

Pubs and restaurants will be able to operate as normal from 20 June, but border controls remain.