Covid: Isle of Man border reopens to fully-vaccinated travellers

People arriving on the Isle of Man on the day it reopened to fully-vaccinated travellers have said it was "excellent" to return, but it felt "a bit weird".

New rules allow people from the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands who have had both vaccine doses to enter the island without restrictions.

Returning residents who have spent the last 10 days in the Common Travel Area (CTA) are also exempt.

One visitor said it would "bring a lot more people back" to the island.

Under the relaxation, which came into effect at 00:01 BST, anyone from the areas who has been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks is exempt from restrictions, while all other travellers must still isolate until they record a negative Covid-19 result.

It is the first time travellers from the UK, Ireland and Jersey have been able to travel freely to the island without the need for testing and isolation since March 2020.

Guernsey residents were able to visit for a period in summer 2020 via an air bridge between the two islands.

'Thrilled'

Passengers were initially processed manually by port staff ahead of the launch of an online registration system, which issues a unique QR code to be scanned at the ports to verify their right to enter.

One of the first to arrive on the morning ferry was Jack Eland, who was reunited with family for the first time in almost two years.

He said it had been "too long", while his grandfather Ray said the pair had "loads of catching up to do".

Jack Eland had not seen his grandfather Ray for almost two years

Ramsey resident Cristina Vasiliu said the changes were "excellent" and had made travelling "a little bit easier", adding that she was "thrilled that I'm able to come back so easily now".

Former island resident Lucy said returning for the first time since October was "a bit strange".

She said that as she was currently living in the UK while working as a nurse, it was "a bit weird... with no restrictions".

Paul Morby said he was looking forward to the return of motorbikes to the island

Paul Morby, who was arriving from Morecambe, said the relaxation would bring "a lot more people back to the Isle of Man".

"It'd be good to see a lot of motorbikes on island again," he added.

Although it had initially been planned to fully reopen the island's border to all residents in the CTA, a rise in cases in the UK led to the government paring back plans to just the fully vaccinated.

Anyone arriving on the island from outside the CTA will still have to follow a seven-day isolation and testing regime, regardless of their vaccination status.