The Isle of Man Government’s medium-term response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been published.
The document – titled Stay Safe – sets out a framework for how the Isle of Man Government will, at the appropriate time, approach the easing of restrictions put in place to reduce the spread of the virus in order to save lives.
The document sets out the Isle of Man Government’s principles for dealing with COVID-19 in the medium term:
- Protection of life
- Maintaining critical national infrastructure
- Maintaining public safety, confidence and welfare
- Support a controlled return to normality, balancing social, economic and health impacts
Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK said:
'This document is important in providing our community with an understanding of the Government’s intended approach to dealing with COVID-19 here in the Isle of Man, in the medium term.
'It is important to stress that this is not a timeline, and that our approach may not be a linear, one-way process. Our phased approach allows the Isle of Man Government’s approach to flex, enabling us to move back and forth between phases if the evidence shows that there is a resurgence in COVID-19 cases here on the Island.'
The document will remain under regular review and sets out the three key measures that will be used to inform decision-making by the Council of Ministers:
- Health system readiness
- Social pressures
- Economic pressures
The Chief Minister added:
'What the future holds in the world’s fight against COVID-19 is unknown. I appreciate that this can be both unsettling and frustrating.
'The role of the government is to plan, as best we can, for different scenarios which may face us and to do so with the aim of looking after the physical, mental and economic wellbeing of our community. This also requires us to set out our plans in a transparent manner to give everyone in our community the opportunity to understand and plan.
'I believe this document delivers on these two goals.'
The document will be debated at the next sitting of Tynwald on Tuesday 5 May 2020.
