Border controls that are currently in place for Isle of Man residents will be eased from Thursday 16 September, as part of the Council of Ministers commitment to restoring unrestricted travel between the Island and the British Isles once the majority of the population have been fully vaccinated.
There will no longer be any testing or isolation requirements for Isle of Man residents when they return from travel from within the Common Travel Area (‘CTA’), regardless of vaccination status.
The change streamlines the current two-stage exemption form process to provide a more efficient service – with just a landing form required for entry. All travellers will continue to be strongly advised to undertake home testing using lateral flow devices tests every 3 – 4 days upon return.
For residents who have been outside the CTA in the preceding 10 days, the current process will remain the same, with arrivals from amber countries undertaking the ‘7 day pathway’ and red countries following UK travel requirements prior to onward travel to the Isle of Man.
At this stage, restrictions on unvaccinated non-residents will remain in place, but under review. Chief Minister Howard Quayle said:
‘Our aim has always been to restore travel between the Island and the British Isles as soon as safely possible, and these changes mark a further incremental step forwards for Isle of Man residents.
‘At this stage, the Council of Ministers has stopped short of removal of restrictions on unvaccinated non-residents given that we wish to assess the impact of these latest changes first, however we will keep this under review and we look forward to welcoming more visitors as soon as possible.’
The Council of Ministers has also released a document which details the strategic approach for managing COVID-19 in the medium term. The ‘Learning to Live in a World with COVID-19’ document is intended to outline current considerations and rationale for Government decision making over the next 1 – 3 months, ahead of the next administration.
The approach recognises that, while the vaccination programme has contributed significantly to the Island’s defences, the virus continues to represent a threat to Island life particularly if a new variant which evades vaccines emerges and spreads.
To read the Isle of Man Government Approach to Managing COVID-19 document, visit: https://covid19.gov.im/covidstrategy
