Wednesday 09 February 2022
The Community Vaccination Centre will move out of the Sir John Loveridge Hall before the end of March, freeing it up to re-open for sport from early April.
This positive announcement is further evidence of the steady progress being made towards the long-term management of COVID-19 and comes on the same day that the island reached 80% of its target for booster doses. A total of 40,885 people have now received their booster dose, which provides the whole community with significant protection from the virus.
It was never the intention for the Community Vaccination Centre to remain in the Sir John Loveridge Hall for the long term, and the support islanders have shown for the booster programme has enabled plans for the CVC to move to a smaller location while the programme continues.
From Wednesday 23rd March, the CVC will move to the Cambridge and Delancy rooms at Beau Sejour.
A flooring contractor will carry out some remedial work in the Sir John Loveridge Hall before it is then returned for the use of sports from Monday 4th April. This date will be brought forward if possible.
Deputy Al Brouard, President of the Committee for Health & Social Care, said:
'When the decision was taken to use the Sir John Loveridge Hall for the Community Vaccination Centre, it was not taken lightly as we recognised the significant impact it would have on the island's sporting community. We have been grateful for everyone's understanding that the vaccination programme had to take priority but now is the right time to vacate the hall and get it back to its prime use. I hope this announcement will be welcome news for all those sports that use the hall.'
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:
'Our Committee recognises, like many islanders, that the vaccination programme had to be the number one priority and as such we supported the decision to use the Sir John Loveridge Hall, which provided enough space to be able to continue delivering the programme with social distancing maintained at all times. Having said that, we also recognised the impact it had on the many sports that relied on its use so today's announcement is great news indeed. It will be fantastic to see the hall back in action as a bustling sporting venue. I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our staff who have worked so hard to support those sports who were displaced, to help them find alternative arrangements, and also to the sporting community for their patience during this period.'