Classification of Australia as Amber (FOI)

Classification of Australia as 'Amber' under the Safer Travel scheme.

Please provide all the information, including details of every factor that was considered, on the decision making by the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control which has placed Australia on the Amber list for country COVID classification.

The minutes of the relevant meeting at which this decision was made will be acceptable.

The decision to change the risk classification for Australia from ‘Green’ to ‘Amber’ was taken by the Medical Officer of Health on 6 August 2020. This is shown in the following extract of the decision record .
Decision record

Personal information within the decision notice has been redacted in accordance with Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Also available at the below link is the additional risk assessment document referred to within the Decision Record which supported the discussion and final decision.
Risk Assessment

The protocol for the risk assessment process for country COVID classification is:

Step 1: Classification 
Countries are assessed according to the most recent 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 population, published by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC). The recent trends of the notification rates are also reviewed as part of any re-classification considerations. Key assumptions include:

• The UK notification rate as of start of July 1st is set as the acceptable baseline level of risk
• UK designated corridor countries, from where there are no quarantine requirements as of July 1st, are taken as the starting point for Green classification
• ‘Red’ countries are those which have been classified by the ECDC as having more than 120 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population

The thresholds for each banding are: 

Countries showing a trend that moves their rate closer to a threshold in either direction are reviewed.

Regional activity in countries with frequent travel links will be considered and included in the risk stratification where relevant / appropriate - for example, Madeira, Brittany or other locations where there is likely to be more frequent travel to Jersey.

Step 2: Additional information
The following information is considered in the classification and monitoring of countries:

• UK 14-day case notification rate
• Jersey 14-day notification rate
• Frequency of travel between Jersey and country of origin
• Recent trends of case notification rates
• Published (ECDC) testing rates
• WHO information on COVID new rates of positive cases in specific regions

Step 3. Monitoring and Review - Decision Making 
Individual decisions about country (including regions) reclassification are made by the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control each day.
 
These decisions are recorded as part of the Medical Officer of Health decision making. New classification are communicated to:
• Communications Unit
• Gov.je team
• Contact Tracing Team
• Testing and Tracing Leads
• Competent Authority Ministers
• Chief Executive Officer, DG SPP and DG JHA

New country classification are published via media release, with changes made to government website and Safer Travel Policy guidance.

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell (STAC) also provide advice regarding Jersey’s Safer Travel Policy.

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