Coronavirus: Lifestyle businesses to reopen from 1 June

Lifestyle businesses such as hairdressers and tattoo parlours will be allowed to reopen on the Isle of Man from 1 June, the chief minister said.

Cafes and restaurants have also been asked to "start preparation for a possible opening of any outdoor areas" for food-led services from next month.

Howard Quayle said the government was "optimistic" about the "overall picture" on the Isle of Man.

There were no new cases of coronavirus confirmed on the island on Thursday.

Mr Quayle said there was still "a long way to go but we are making way to our new Manx normal".

The changes are part of a six-stage plan by government to ease the island out of lockdown restrictions.

Lifestyle businesses will be required to complete a risk assessment prior to opening and maintain a list of all customers for 28 days to allow for contact tracing purposes.

Guidance for restaurants and cafes would be published next week and the government would "assist where possible", Mr Quayle said.

He added that schools would reopen on 15 June and children who have been attending during the pandemic would be allowed to return to their usual facility on 17 June.

No date had been set for the phased return of other pupils and attendance would be "on a voluntary basis until the new school year in September", he continued.

An expansion of the repatriation scheme was also announced and, from 3 June, there will be two weekly sailings from Heysham with the maximum number of passengers allowed on each increased to 50.

Immediate family members, including non-residents, will be allowed travel on or off the island to attend a funeral or visit a relative in an "end of life" situation but the 14-day quarantine rule will remain for all arrivals.