Getting Tested

Depending on your circumstances, you may be required to remain in self-isolation or passive follow up while you wait for your test result. If you are unsure what you need to do while you wait for your result, please check with the operator who calls you to book you in for your test. Information about self-isolation and passive follow up can be found at https://covid19.gov.gg/support/protect. 

You are likely to receive your results between 24 - 48 hours after the swab has been taken.

When you provide your personal details, you will be asked if you consent to contact by text message. If you agree to this, you will receive a negative result by text.

If you do NOT consent to receiving text messages, or if your result is positive, you will receive a phone call.

Please note that multiple results cannot be sent through to a single number e.g. families or travelling groups. Each individual will instead receive a phone call. Children’s results will not be sent in text message format and a parent or other person with parental responsibility will be phoned.

If you get a positive result, the Public Health Team will inform you of your result and will provide you with all the guidance required. You will be required to remain in self-isolation and will receive a further test at a later stage (usually 14 days after the initial test, providing you have no symptoms) to confirm your status. The contact tracing team will also be in touch to gather further information about your journey, activities and people you have spent time with.

If you have no transport of your own and cannot access a lift to the testing centre at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital from a member of your household and have no symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, a sore throat, muscle aches, headache/sinus pain, a fever, a high temperature, shortness of breath) you can use a taxi. 

When booking, you must inform the taxi company that you are booking to go for a COVID-19 test at the hospital drive-through. You must also: 

• Wear a face mask throughout the journey
• Sanitise your hands before entering the taxi
• Keep the car windows down throughout the journey
• Follow other instructions given by the taxi driver
• Sit in the back seat behind the driver

On arrival at the PEH the taxi driver should drive into car park C where they will be greeted by a porter and directed into the drive through testing centre. Both passenger and driver should remain in the vehicle until directed otherwise.

When the taxi is in the testing facility the person requiring a test will be asked to step out of the taxi and informed where to stand/sit for the test to take place. The individual being tested must keep their mask in place until instructed to remove it by a member of the testing team.

Once the swab has been taken the individual must replace their mask and sanitise their hands. They should then get back into the taxi and continue to follow the above guidance until they are back at their place of residence.

The Bailiwick of Guernsey has achieved consistent, sustained control of the virus that causes COVID-19, but it remains vulnerable to re-introduction, particularly while surrounding jurisdictions are experiencing high prevalence rates of infection. 

BETS has been developed to mitigate the risk of reintroduction of COVID-19 with the dual aims of:

• Detecting more infections in travellers before they can be spread to the community; and
• Achieving early detection of any escaped cases/clusters, which can be targeted with the test/trace/isolate processes to interrupt any ongoing transmission and snuff out outbreaks before they lead to widespread community transmission.

To help find and extinguish any ‘missed’ infections and thereby stop the virus taking hold in the islands, end of isolation testing on Day 13 is being offered to travellers, effective since week beginning 16th November: 

Planning for surveillance testing within the following groups is underway and will begin as soon as possible (exact groups to be confirmed):

• Staff with highest risk of contact with recent travellers, e.g. aircraft/ferry cabin staff/crew; land-side port staff; taxi drivers; PEH clinical swabbing team;
• Staff at long-term care facilities, including those who do not have direct contact with residents; and
• People working with the vulnerable in the community

If you are required to provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 result for your travel destination or carrier, you can request this online using this form: https://gov.gg/outboundtraveller-pcr and the team will be in touch to book your test.

Pre-travel PCR tests will cost £83 per test. Our Primary Care colleagues have been providing this service in their own practices and travellers are able to continue using Primary Care for pre-travel testing but this new online system is an additional service which ensures testing can be undertaken 7 days a week.

Outbound travellers should complete the online form 48 hours before the test is required. Results will be sent via email within 24 to 48 hours (the processing time may be quicker). The email will include a letter confirming the negative result which can be shared with your travel destination or carrier.

Since it was established on 6 March 2020, the Clinical helpline which is run by JESCC has handled over 16,000 calls from Islanders seeking clinical advice about COVID-19.

Call handlers on this line are there to assess whether you need a COVID-19 test based on a set of clinical questions that they will talk you through over the telephone.  Calling the helpline will essentially result in one of two outcomes:

• If you need a COVID-19 test they will refer you to the scheduling team who will arrange an appointment.
• They will determine that you don’t need a COVID-19 test and the call handler will take no further action.

What the call handlers CANNOT do is determine whether you need any additional clinical assessment or treatment. If you don’t need an ambulance and are unwell then you should contact your primary care practitioner who will be able to determine the cause of your illness and the correct treatment.

Before you call for assistance please bear in mind the following: 

• If you are very unwell phone 999
• If you are concerned you are unwell and need to speak to someone about your symptoms call your GP
• If you have symptoms that are manageable at home which you are not worried about, call the helpline to discuss if you need a COVID test

Please go to Education guidance | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg) for the latest education guidance.

For information about Year 10 - 13 students surveillance testing please go to: Local Testing | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)