Covid: Isle of Man bishop says pandemic made 2021 much more complex

Bishop Eagles said there had never been "a tougher time to be in public office or leadership"

The ongoing impact of Covid-19 has made 2021 "much more complex" than 2020, the Isle of Man's bishop has said.

The Right Reverend Peter Eagles said there was a need for a "narrative of hope and confidence", but that was "very hard" to find while "significant challenges" were still being faced.

He said going forward, "many, many things", such as people's mental health, would "need long-term care".

He added that the situation had shown the duty "we all have for one another".

Bishop Eagles said it had "not been an easy year" and there had never been "a tougher time to be in public office or leadership".

"I guess what we need is a narrative of hope and of confidence, but that's sometimes very, very hard to make clear when we're still in the midst of significant challenges," he said.

'Loneliness and isolation'

However, he said despite some restrictions throughout the year, the island had been able to enjoy "a fairly settled way of life".

"We've been well looked after by our politicians here and we've been well looked after by one another," he said.

He said the emergence of new variants had led to the realisation that dealing with Covid-19 was not a "simple one phase process", but "real progress" was being made the booster jab rollout.

However, he said that going forward, there would be "many, many things that will need long-term care".

"People's mental health is an obvious example.

"Things like loneliness [and] isolation, all of those things continue to be realities in people's lives."

'Wonderful things'

He said the emergence of the Omicron variant in late November had compounded the fears of people who have, "in recent decades, become used to a high level of security".

He said people could previously live their lives "peacefully and without concern or fear", but the last two years had "changed that perspective.

"They've brought real anxiety and uncertainty into our lives, possibly for the first time in decades."

However, he said there could be a sense of hope as a new year approaches, as there "will be an end to this, it's just not quite evident yet".

Bishop Eagles said the Christmas story told people that "transformation in life won't always happen as you expect it to".

"Even in the darkest times, if we can look upon one another in love and care and compassion... and if we can help to carry one another's burdens, then those are wonderful things," he said.

"With those things, we can look to the future with hope."