Isle of Man coronavirus: Self-isolation checks for all returning residents

Every resident returning to the Isle of Man will be contacted by the borders team to make sure they are self-isolating, the government has said.

Under the Isle of Man's Covid-19 rules, anyone returning to the island must self-isolate for 14 days.

Since the island's borders reopened to residents on 20 July, about 40% of the 2,500 returnees have been contacted.

A team of 60 people, which includes the newly-formed Travel Notification Service, will carry out the checks.

Those who break the rules could face a fine of up to £10,000 or three months in prison.

On Saturday, a man from Douglas became the third person in the last two weeks to be jailed for breaching the rules.

Government figures showed between 20 July and 12 August, 884 returning residents were contacted by telephone and 145 received a home visit.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said while he had "great confidence" that most people would follow the rules, he could not overemphasise the importance of everyone adhering to them.

"Spot checks are an important deterrent, but they don't provide a guarantee that people will comply for the full two-week period," he said.

"We rely on people's honesty and willingness to do the right thing."

Meanwhile, the island's heath minister has warned against "complacency" over the possible re-emergence of the virus.

David Ashford said there was "always a risk, especially when the island has been without cases for so long, that people will now dismiss symptoms and think it's something else".

As such, it was important for those who develop symptoms to "present for testing", he said.

"We need to ensure that we keep the island as safe as we possibly can," he added.

The island recorded its last positive case of coronavirus on 20 May.

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