Isle of Man: Chief minister reveals three-stage winter Covid plan

A three-stage plan has been set out to keep Covid cases on the Isle of Man at a "manageable level" over the winter months, the chief minster has said.

It explains how the government could scale up mitigations like increased testing or working from home if health services become "overwhelmed".

Alfred Cannan said he had not ruled out the return of legal interventions but wanted to avoid them where possible.

The plan is due to last until March next year when "pressures may reduce".

Restrictions around the island's borders will remain unchanged.

Mr Cannan said the island was currently at level-one of the new framework, where the advice to the public on hands, face, space and fresh air remains in place, while take-up of the booster vaccine continues to be encouraged.

The Director of Public Health Dr Ewart said the island "needed to be careful about waning immunity" as winter approached, "which was why getting a third jab is so important".

If Manx Care started to come under more pressure, the chief minister said a "more robust response" could come in the second stage.

This could mean working from home to reduce mixing, a change to an "expectation" of mask-wearing in crowded spaces, and different testing strategies.

Finally, level-three of the plan sets out how social distancing, limits on gatherings and other legal restrictions could be brought back, though the government stated this would be as a "last resort".

Factors which would lead to reintroduction of these measures include new variants of concern, significant disruption to the economy, or unsustainable pressure on the Manx NHS.

The chief minister said there was no "particular trigger from one level to the next", and the response "will need to shift to meet the circumstances".

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