Coronavirus: Isle of Man to allow groups of up to 10 people to meet

Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed on the Isle of Man from Wednesday as coronavirus lockdown restrictions continue to be eased.

Up to two people from the same household will also able to visit another home, the chief minister said.

Howard Quayle said he wanted to allow a "maximum amount of freedom" while balancing that with the "risk to the wider community".

The changes are part of a six-stage plan to ease restrictions.

The island has recorded another two consecutive days with no new cases of coronavirus being confirmed.

Shops were allowed to open from Monday and the Department for Enterprise has advised local authorities to pedestrianise town centres to better facilitate social distancing.

Currently gatherings of two or more people from outside the same household are banned and those found breaching the rules face penalties.

Social distancing will still be required under the new measures and people have been advised to spend no longer than 15 minutes in other people's homes, though this is not mandatory.

Mr Quayle said it was up to individuals to "make the right decisions" on who to allow into their households and for how long.

He urged people to "please think before you hug" when meeting up with others.

Domestic cleaners will also be allowed to return to work from Wednesday, while libraries and campsites will be permitted to open with social distancing measures.

Nurseries will be able to extend their services to children of workers from the construction and horticultural trades, a measure that was introduced into schools on Monday.