Isle of Man ends Covid lockdown — including social distancing

A statement from the Isle of Man Government says "life on the island can return to near normal".

The Isle of Man  has become the first crown dependency to fully relax all restrictions

The Isle of Man has ceased almost all Covid restrictions — including social distancing and mask-wearing — as community cases of the virus trend at zero. 

After a 25-day “circuit breaker” lockdown, which started on 7 January after a spike in cases, the island sees no community spread of Covid, and has now become the first crown dependency to fully relax all restrictions. 

Pubs, bars, and restaurants that were restricted to takeaway only are now able to have customers, nobody is required to wear a mask, and social distancing does not need to be enforced. 

A statement from the Isle of Man Government says "life on the island can return to near normal". 

Travel restrictions do remain, however, with only residents and key workers permitted to enter the island. Additionally, all those coming to the island must isolate for 21 days, with the potential to stop isolating on day 14 with the result of a negative covid test. 

Chief Minister, Howard Quayle MHK, said: "After almost a month of lockdown, this is the moment we have all been waiting for. The Isle of Man has achieved local elimination of the virus for a second time, meaning the risk of community spread of COVID-19 is extremely low. We beat the virus once and we have done so again. 

"This has only been possible due to the seriousness with which the public have approached the measures set out by government to bring the virus under control and eliminate its spread. This achievement is thanks to the collective determination, the sense of duty, and the community spirit of the Manx people, for which they are to be commended.

"'Although this is a moment for relief and celebration, we cannot let down our guard. We are seeing other jurisdictions that have achieved local elimination battling with outbreaks. We must remain vigilant.

“Last time we achieved local elimination, we enjoyed almost seven months of relative normality here in the Isle of Man. With this record, our strengthened testing regime, and the growing pace of our vaccination programme, I hope this lockdown represents a blip to the start of 2021, with brighter days ahead.”