'Areas of weakness' in Manx government Covid response

Kate Brunner was appointed to carry out the independent review

A review of the Manx government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has recommended a support programme for schoolchildren, and refunds for people forced into quarantine.

Kate Brunner KC's independent review made 31 recommendations in total.

Her report found the overall response was "largely successful".

But she said it was "no surprise that there were areas of weakness", given managing a pandemic was a "novel experience" for the government.

The review covered the period from December 2019 up to the removal of restrictions in April 2022, and looked at areas including border closures, quarantine procedures and online learning.

The document said a mass vaccination plan should now be drawn up and consideration given to how testing capacity could be increased rapidly in the event of another pandemic.

Ms Brunner called for a review of the island's emergency powers legislation to preserve a distinction between law and guidance, and a clear plan for publishing any new legislation with date stamping.

In relation to those powers, her report recommended the government refund the charges imposed on returning residents quarantined at the Comis Hotel and "acknowledge that they went through a very difficult experience, which was for the good of the island".

The report also recommended the development and funding of a Covid recovery strategy for children affected, including educational support, a long Covid treatment programme and a reduction in waiting times for mental health appointments.

Border controls were introduced to halt the spread of the virus

Other recommendations included:

• Urgent action to ensure that the oxygen supply at Noble's Hospital was secure and could be expanded if needed

• Contingency planning to create an equal focus on social and community-based health services

• A written plan for school closures and a system for assessing remote learning provision

• Creating a revised Infectious Disease Pandemic Plan

• Increasing capacity in the Attorney General's Chambers and Government Technology Services

• Retaining effective pandemic working practices including access to up-to-date IT systems and software

• The immediate improvement of government communications

Ms Brunner said the pandemic had "provided great challenges" for the government, businesses, and the public, and "high levels of anxiety were prevalent for everyone".

The pandemic was a "terrible time for many people" on the island and "lives were lost and many people suffered", she said.

There had been "many unknown factors and uncertainties" at the outset and the government "needed to grapple with complex and unfamiliar issues and decisions to protect residents and the economy", she continued.

"Outcomes were comparatively good in terms of numbers of deaths, time in lockdown, costs per head and economic recovery," Ms Brunner said.

"The island fared much better than many other places."

Ms Brunner said she had had full cooperation from the current government and "all significant officials, advisers and politicians" who had left their posts, and had not been "prevented from obtaining any evidence which I sought".

While the review did not "reinvestigate the conclusions" of the employment tribunal that ruled the island's medical director Rosalind Ranson was unfairly dismissed, the review was "satisfied" advice from clinicians about border controls had reached the Council of Ministers on 16 March 2020, contrary to the tribunal's findings.

However, the review said the island "in common with many other jurisdictions" had "moved later than it should have done to take action to control the virus".

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]