Covid: Manx firms hit by December disruption given further £3.4m

More than 60% of surveyed businesses saw sales drop by at least a quarter in December

An extra £3.4m in Covid support will help customer-facing Manx businesses "navigate a period of uncertainty", the enterprise minister has said.

A £6,000 grant is now available for firms that saw sales drop in December after a surge in Covid cases.

A survey found that more than half of Manx customer-facing firms had to close or reduce hours due to staff shortages.

Alex Allinson said self-isolation and customer cancellations had hit the "typically busy festive season".

The December Disruption Scheme has been introduced on top of a separate £9m tranche of support offered in December to support firms over the wider winter period.

A Treasury spokeswoman said businesses and self-employed people would be able to apply for both grants if they can show evidence of a "significant reduction in turnover".

Lost trade

The announcement comes after a snapshot poll conducted in January by the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce of about 220 customer-facing firms.

More than 36% had to reduced opening hours over Christmas and just under 16% had to close, while more than 60% saw sales drops by at least a quarter in comparison to the same period in 2020.

The survey also found a combination of staff absences and lost footfall was "so severe" that more than 60% of respondents wanted testing rules to be scrapped.

Chamber chief executive Rebecca George said the poll had "gone a long way towards assisting the government's decision to widen the sectors that are eligible for funding".

Hospitality and retail firms had also "started to question" whether rules around lateral flow test reporting "could be relaxed a little", she added.