Guernsey's Director of Public Health is once again calling on islanders to take 'responsible steps' to limit the spread of Covid-19 within the community.

Dr Nicola Brink says the virus has not gone away, but because of the success of the vaccination programme the number of people becoming very sick remains low.

She says it's important to stay home if you are unwell:

"Our weekly case numbers show that Covid-19 has not gone away and therefore the need for vigilance and sensible decisions from islanders hasn’t gone away either. This is what living responsibly with Covid looks like."

She is urging business owners to support staff who are sick, actively encourage them to stay at home when unwell and certainly not ask them to come into work.

"Our vaccination programme has been a huge success story in terms of keeping people out of hospital, but there remains the very real risk that essential services could be impacted by staff shortages if large numbers catch Covid-19.

No one wants to see these core services struggling to meet the needs of islanders so it is really important that we all continue to take responsibility, stay at home if we’re unwell and certainly if you know you’re Covid-positive, and that we all give strong consideration to wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation."

We would also strongly encourage people to wear face coverings in enclosed indoor spaces where social distancing is not possible or where ventilation is poor."

Lateral flow tests are still freely available for islanders, as and when they are running low.

"Please continue taking an LFT before attending a large social event. Taking an LFT if you are a contact of a positive case or if you are symptomatic also remains best practice.

We are in an enviable position compared to other jurisdictions, with hardly any legal restrictions in place, but we need the community to continue working with us, including businesses to encourage their staff to do the right thing, so that we continue safely moving forward."

Anyone who tests positive with a lateral flow test should notify Public Health online.