Coronavirus: Man jailed for going to McDonald's while self-isolating

Jake Waring arrived on the island by ferry on 16 October

A man who breached the Isle of Man's Covid-19 rules by going to McDonald's with friends has been jailed.

Jake Waring, 20, of Murrays Road, Douglas, admitted failing to comply with a direction to self-isolate on Sunday.

Under the island's restrictions, all travellers arriving on the Isle of Man are required to quarantine for 14 days.

He was sentenced to six weeks in prison at Douglas Courthouse.

The court heard Waring, who has family in both Birkenhead and on the Isle of Man, was granted an exemption certificate to visit the island as a returning resident.

On arrival at the ferry terminal on Friday, he was made aware of the island's self-isolation rules by port staff and issued with a written direction notice.

He was also warned by a family member not to go out.

'Very real risk'

Two days later, he left his accommodation to meet up with two friends at the Villa Marina, before the group walked across Douglas to a McDonald's restaurant on Peel Road.

They then visited a petrol station shop nearby.

He was reported to police by a member of the public.

His defence argued he "forgot" he was required to self-isolate and thought the island's rules were the same as those in Liverpool.

The prosecution said there was "no doubt" that he had a "full understanding" of the Manx Covid-19 rules.

Sentencing Waring, High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said people on the island were "extremely lucky" to have the current freedoms they do and that was down to the "strict rules" imposed on new arrivals.

His actions had "posed a very real risk" to those he had come into contact with and the sentence would send a "clear message" that anyone breaking the law would face jail, she added.