Isle of Man delivery driver jailed for breaking quarantine rules

Returning residents are required to self-isolate for a mandatory period

A takeaway delivery driver who went to work three days after returning from abroad has been jailed for breaking the Isle of Man's Covid-19 laws.

Ivan Dimitrov, 50, of Empress Drive, Douglas, admitted failing to quarantine on 6 September.

Under the island's Covid-19 rules at the time, all travellers returning to the Isle of Man were required to self-isolate at home for 14 days.

He was sentenced at Douglas Courthouse on Thursday, to eight weeks in prison.

Dimitrov, who is Bulgarian, had returned to the island via Ronaldsway Airport on 3 September after spending time abroad, a police spokesman said.

Three days later he went back to work as a delivery driver for a Douglas-based restaurant, he added.

He was arrested after his actions were reported to police by a member of the public.

Following the sentencing, an Isle of Man Constabulary spokesman said it was "vital that the public follow the rules to stop Covid coming to the island and spreading".

Self-isolation rules for residents returning to the island were amended on Monday, allowing those who test negative after seven days in quarantine to return to work, provided it is not a role that requires interaction with the public.