Covid-19-related restrictions will be be able to be imposed until the end of November after MPs approved an extension to emergency legislation.

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said that the only reason restrictions were needed was some people had failed to follow basic guidelines such as social-distancing.

She added that those that had refused to get vaccinated had contributed to a spike in cases.

Mr Wilson said: “There are persons – and I’m not sure why – but they are not getting the messaging.

“We have let down people. We are the ones responsible for protecting children who can’t get vaccinated. We only have ourselves to blame. We have to get to the point of personal responsibility.”

Ms Wilson was speaking as the House of Assembly last Friday debated the Public Health (Covid-19) Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order 2021, drawn up to give officials powers to impose restrictions such as curfews and lockdowns for another 60 days.

Michael Dunkley, the shadow health minister, agreed the extension was necessary.

He said: “If we had followed basic health guidelines we would be in a better position, but that hasn’t been the case.

“It’s disgraceful and despicable that this hasn’t been the case.”

Mr Dunkley added that the healthcare system was “creaking” under the strain of a fourth wave of the coronavirus and that the island’s Covid-19 testing capacity had been “blown out of the water”.

He said that the Government needed to do more to increase vaccination rates to “get across the finish line” and reach herd immunity.

Mr Dunkley appealed to David Burt, the Premier, to take a more high-profile stance in promoting vaccination.