Yahoo News The island home to 2,000 British citizens where there are no coronavirus cases
Alderney is the tiny Channel Island with no confirmed coronavirus cases – and it needs to stay that way.
A COVID-19 outbreak would likely devastate the island because about 50% of its 2,000 inhabitants are over-65s who would be most vulnerable to the virus.
Lisa Millan, a mental health worker from the island, told Yahoo News UK: “If it was to come here, it would be absolutely awful. We don’t want it to get here and we have done a good job, so far.”
So, how has it managed to avoid any infections?
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For Dr Sally Simmons, clinical director at Alderney’s sole medical centre, the answer is simple: low population density and a quick response from the island authorities.
She said: “We are a little bit more remote than some of the other Channel Islands but more importantly, our population density is a big factor.
“We have got three square miles of land so our population density is around 600 people per square mile. Guernsey’s is probably around 2,500 per square mile.
“And if you look at any of the big cities like London with really huge problems with COVID-19, they are really big, dense populations.”
Alderney, which is not part of the UK but whose inhabitants are British citizens, is governed by the States of Guernsey, which imposed a similar lockdown to that of the UK on 24 March.
However, Dr Simmons said its anti-coronavirus measures started before that: “We introduced restrictions on travelling by port and airport quite early on and restricted visiting in our hospital about six weeks ago.
“It wasn’t terribly difficult to introduce that because we have a good community and it’s very supportive of what we are doing. We have managed to maintain that through the lockdown.”
These factors are hugely important as even a couple of COVID-19 cases would be devastating for the island, Dr Simmons said.
“It absolutely would. Between 750 and 900 people are over 65. We have 25 in a care home, 15 in a residential home and 10 long-stay patients in our hospital.
“Those people are really vulnerable, plus we have got a lot of older people living alone with home care and meals on wheels etc. Those are the situations we are keeping a really careful eye on.
“If we did get COVID-19 here, unfortunately we would see some very sick people.”
Meanwhile, Millan, co-ordinator for the Mind mental health charity in Alderney, said islanders’ community spirit has been just as important during the lockdown.
“Everyone is really following the restrictions, and the local services have been so good at what they are doing that we haven’t had to break any rules.
“Everyone is supporting each other. It’s a good atmosphere.
“We are really learning how to look after each other again. If people need something, someone else will be happy to go and get it.
“The shops are opening at specific hours for the key workers. Those shops are also doing deliveries so you don’t necessarily have to leave the house.”
Another island native, Alex Flewitt, said Alderney’s two-hour exercise allowance, in which beach visits are allowed, has helped normalise the lockdown.
“Lockdown here doesn’t feel like it does in the UK,” she said.
Flewitt, who has been volunteering at a farm shop helping to make food deliveries, explained: “You can go for a swim in the sea, sit on the beach, walk your dog.
“Everything feels normal – apart from not being able to see your friends.”
That’s not to say it has been easy. After nearly four weeks of lockdown, Millan said Mind has seen an increase in referrals in the past week.
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“I do think people have started to struggle,” she said. “On the mental health side of things, we’ve had quite a few referrals. We have got a therapist on the island but she is only seeing people via video-link or phone. Some people can’t do that or access that, so I think that’s been a bit of a struggle.
“It’s got a bit real. People are finding it difficult as we are a very social island: meeting friends, going to the pub, being out on the beaches.
“It’s anxiety about what’s going to happen. We have lonely people who feel really isolated and are sitting on their own. There are financial worries: people with their own businesses are having to stop. There are a lot of big families here and people are unable to spend time together.
“It’s a general feeling of the unknown that is the big problem.”
