Covid: People on the Isle of Man urged to keep following advice

People on the Isle of Man should keep taking precautions against coronavirus despite a drop in infections, the health minister has said.

The latest Covid-19 public health surveillance report said there had been a "continued trend towards a fall in cases" over the past week.

Lawrie Hooper said the island was still facing the "unknown" and adhering to Covid-19 guidance "keeps us all safe".

He added that the situation was under review by the Council of Ministers.

Current measures include wearing face coverings in indoor public spaces and regular home testing for the virus.

There are currently 929 active cases on the island, down from a peak of 2,842 on 5 January.

The latest surveillance report said there was "a slight rise in cases reported" at the end of last week but "on the data currently available, this does not indicate a trend towards a resurgence in case numbers".

The position would become clearer "as further data accrues", it added.

Mr Hooper said while the fall in cases was "very good news", it "doesn't mean we can relax just yet".

Predicting what might happen in the future remained "exceptionally difficult", he added.

Mr Hooper said following the government advice would "support things like keeping the case numbers low" and if people stopped wearing face coverings or testing "we may well see that trend turn around and start going in the other direction".

He also called on people to get the booster vaccination if they are eligible for one.

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