Isle of Man's Covid laws scrapped 'at the right time'

The chief minister said it was time to be "brave" and to "trust in the vaccines"

The Isle of Man's chief minister has said "it is the right time" to drop all Covid measures, as people are now no longer legally required to isolate.

It is the first time in two years the island is free of coronavirus measures.

Alfred Cannan said the government was confident the "threat [was] at such a level now" that people should progress to "living with Covid".

The end to measures also means support payments for people off work with the virus are no longer available.

Payments of £300 to people with legal direction to self-isolate were brought in at the start of the year, following a sharp rise in cases.

The number of days someone can self-certify themselves as ill without a doctor's note has also been reduced from 21 days to 14.

Previous isolation rules following a positive test have been replaced with guidance to avoid work for 48 hours.

'Be brave'

It comes as hospital cases have risen in the last week, amid staff shortages in health care settings and many of the island's schools.

Mr Cannan said: "It is going to raise concerns when you hear that there are two wards currently allocated to Covid patients."

But he urged people to look at the "underlying data, and that is the seriousness of the conditions".

The chief minister said the government would "continue to monitor the situation" and keep across advice from the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

"We've got to be brave, we've got to trust in the vaccines, we've obviously got to pay attention to the disease and virus as we progress through the next few months," he said.