We have just heard that we are lucky enough to remain in Tier 1, but with New Year's Eve approaching please consider whether the risk of spreading the virus on a single night out is worth jeopardising the massive effort made to keep our community and services safe so far this year. With vaccines gradually being made more widely available, we have every reason to be hopeful for a better year, but only if we can get the infection rate under control nationally.
Please bear in mind that if you formed a Christmas Bubble, you should now be reducing your contact with people you do not live with as much as possible. This includes not meeting up with friends or family outside your household, including for New Years Eve, even if you feel well. Remember: one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and will be spreading it without realising it.
As all other areas of the country will be in either Tier 3: Very High Alert or Tier 4: Stay at Home from 31 December, travel to the islands is now even more heavily restricted and you must check the guidance for permitted reasons for travel from these tiers. In all tiers, the advice remains to stay local and avoid travelling outside of your local area, meaning your village or town, or part of a city, where possible. We strongly urge anyone planning to travel to the islands against this advice to reconsider, in light of what bringing the virus to the islands could mean for our community, particularly at this time of year.
As we have previously advised, just because you can do something, doesn't necessarily mean you should, so please consider the Prime Minister's advice to 'see in the New Year safely at home.'
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