Covid: Isle of Man border changes 'will lead to virus cases'

The island's border has been closed to almost all non-residents since March 2020

Plans to allow non-residents to visit the Isle of Man without restrictions "will lead to Covid cases" on the island, the chief minister has said.

Changes approved by Tynwald will allow people from the British Isles and Channel Islands with both vaccine doses to enter without isolating on arrival.

A full lifting of border restrictions was put on hold on Monday.

Howard Quayle said the government was "putting in mitigations [but] we cannot take away the risk".

The changes, which will apply from 28 June, will also come into force for returning residents who are fully vaccinated.

However, the exemption rules only apply to those who have spent the previous 10 days within the listed area.

'Reduce the risk'

Under the new rules, those who are not fully vaccinated will still have to test negative for Covid-19 within 48 hours of arrival before leaving isolation.

Entry to non-residents under those circumstances will be restricted to immediate family, partners, property owners and those relocating for employment, and an entry certificate must be applied for in advance.

All arrivals, including returning residents, will be required to complete a landing card.

A seven-day testing and isolation period will still apply to anyone who has travelled outside of the areas during the previous 10 days.

Mr Quayle said the changes "will lead to Covid cases on the Isle of Man", adding: "Let's not hide this."

"We are putting in mitigations to reduce the risk, [but] we cannot take away the risk," he said.

"There will be problems, but there will be more problems if we don't go ahead."