Coronavirus: Isle of Man border tests 'waste of resources', says chief minister

Testing every arrival at the Isle of Man's border for coronavirus would be a "waste of resources", the chief minister has said.

A recent survey by the island's chamber of commerce revealed strong support for the idea from businesses.

But Howard Quayle said introducing mandatory border tests would cost about £6m and divert staff away from Noble's Hospital.

The tests could also create complacency over Manx quarantine rules, he added.

Health Minister David Ashford previously said a test on the day of arrival would only detect 7% of positive cases, as only those who were shedding the virus at the time would be detected.

As a result, allowing those who test negative on arrival to leave self-isolation would be the "quickest way of us ending up back with community spread", he added.

A poll of more than 100 firms found 87% supported border testing, and 70% backed everyone being tested before leaving quarantine.

Fifty-nine percent backed the government's decision to scrap seven-day tests for returning residents.

The island has a mandatory 14-day isolation period for new arrivals, although a seven-day testing regime for those frequently using the patient transfer service is due to be reinstated.

Mr Quayle said that someone who received a "false negative" result on arrival "may not be as forceful in their behaviour of self-isolating".

He added: "The advice we received from our medics and from our director of public health is that testing at the borders when you haven't got it in the community is a waste of resources."

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