Covid-19: Isle of Man lockdown to be lifted on Monday

The island entered its second lockdown on 7 January

Lockdown restrictions on the Isle of Man will be lifted entirely on Monday, the chief minister has confirmed.

The decision means social distancing will be scrapped, non-essential shops and businesses will reopen, and all children can return to school.

There have now been no new unexplained community cases of Covid-19 for 17 consecutive days.

The island entered its second lockdown on 7 January, following the emergence of several clusters of cases.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said the island was in an "enviable position" and life would be able to return to "near normality".

'Exceptionally low'

The changes will come into force at 00:01 GMT on Monday "as long as nothing happens between now and then that causes us undue concern", he said.

He added that while there was an "exceptionally low" risk the virus was still in the community, residents should still remain cautious.

The lifting of restrictions will also see elective surgery at Noble's Hospital resume, maternity services return to their pre-lockdown format, and there will no longer be a requirement to wear face masks on public transport.

Urging people to respect those who chose to continue to wear a face covering or maintain social distancing, Mr Quayle said "not everyone will be ready for a hug on Monday".

The island's border will remain shut to non-residents except for key workers and those given special permission on compassionate grounds.

Two new cases of coronavirus were confirmed through the island's strict border testing and isolation regime, the first since 18 January, taking the number of active cases to 29.

The latest cases were not classed as "community spread of the virus" and would "not affect our proposed end to lockdown", a government spokesman said.

A total of 434 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since March, 25 of whom died.