The government’s latest approach to Covid-19 measures has been released, dubbed our ’Winter Framework’.

In September, the government published an approach document called ’Learning to live in a world with Covid-19’ in which it recognised that coronavirus was likely to be with us in some form for years to come.

The new winter framework details three different levels of response the island can adhere to depending on various factors.

We are currently in ’level one’, the base response, which essentially means that people are getting vaccinated, following the advice of ’hands, face, space and fresh air’ and are utilising lateral flow testing.

In level one, the wearing of masks is only ’strongly advised’.

Moving into ’level two’ means additional responses such as increased testing, unnecessary household mixing being reduced and increased vigilance being asked from everyone.

In level two, the wearing of masks would be ’expected’.

If we reached the need for ’level three’, we would essentially re-enter lockdown.

It would see the wearing of face coverings be officially mandated, working from home would be a legal requirement and social distancing measures would be reintroduced, with limits placed on gatherings.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK said that a level three response ’must be available, though it is hoped that implementation will not be required’.

There are three key factors which could push us up to level three.

Firstly, if the health and care services are in danger of being overwhelmed. Secondly, if a new variant of concern threatens the vaccine efficacy, and finally if there is ’a significant level of disruption to our island’s economic and social infrastructure’.

The Chief Minister defined the third factor as if too many people were being forced to isolate from the workplace, to the extent that it affects the island on the whole.

The Council of Ministers has established a new National Covid Response Group - which includes representation from the chair of the Emergency Advisory Group (EAG) - for improved decision making, which would ultimately help decide if we need to move to level three.

key

When asked who is in this new group, Mr Cannan said: ’The key point it that we do have the chair of the Emergency Advisory Group brought into that group which contains myself, the health minister, the minister for home affairs and the minister for the cabinet office.’

If the island needs to be moved to any level above level one, this will be announced by the Chief Minister directly, rather than via the weekly surveillance reports.

Mr Cannan said: ’We’re at level one, and we will make an announcement that level two measures are being introduced where we feel appropriate. We will make that abundantly clear. The whole point is that we will strengthen the advice, making it clear it is under our level two framework.’

Mr Cannan stressed that the ongoing vaccination programme and booster programme is ’vital’, and this will hopefully prevent the need for the island to enter anything above level one.

In the conclusion of the winter framework, it states: ’The past 20 months have been incredibly challenging for all aspects of island life, but summer 2021 saw life return to a closer level of normality, in large part due to the widespread rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

’It is hoped that with our collective defences improved due to the vaccination programme, we will have much lower need to defend ourselves using national interventions going forward and there continues to be positive developments in the international fight against Covid-19 such as antiviral treatments.

’Our aim is to get through to March 2022 without the need for widespread legal interventions and instead encourage everyone to help take individual and collective responsibility to protect each other, our NHS and our island’s way of life.’