Covid: Legal requirement to isolate to be lifted on Isle of Man

The legal requirement for those who test positive for Covid-19 on the Isle of Man to isolate could be removed on 31 March, the chief minister has said.

Under the changes, testing and isolation rules at the island's border would also be lifted and contact tracing would be scrapped.

Alfred Cannan said it would allow the island to return to "normal life".

Changes depended on certain factors, including case rates remaining "stable" on the island and in the UK, he added.

Other factors include health services operating normally, vaccines remaining effective, and no new variants of concern emerging.

People would still be encouraged to use home testing kits, which will remain free of charge, if they develop symptoms.

Those who do test positive would be advised to stay away from work and sensitive settings for 48 hours after symptoms subside, but would not be legally required to stay at home.

Mr Cannan said the changes were about "trusting people to be responsible and do the right thing".

Everyone arriving on the island would be required to fill in a travel declaration form outlining where they had been, but that would remain in place for the "shortest time possible", Mr Canann said.

The only exception to travel rules would be for those travelling from countries on the UK red list, who would still be required to isolate prior to arrival.

Mr Cannan said the current plateauing of cases represented a step towards the virus becoming endemic, and the island was preparing to respond proportionately.

He said there was currently "nothing to indicate we should be anything less than confident" that the changes would be introduced as planned.

While an "element of risk continues", the number of deaths from the Omicron variant had been "significantly less" than during previous outbreaks, he added.

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