Tynwald Approves Border Reg Changes

Tynwald members have overwhelmingly voted to support the gov’s new border regs.

A vote of 16-5 in Keys and 8-0 in LegCo saw the regs, which we outlined the other day, passed by the court.

If you want to get a flavour of the debate, read our briefing notes below:

Supplementary order paper 3: Proposed border changes:

Chief Minister to move

This should not be read as a verbatim transcript of the debate, to listen to it in full, click here.

Deputy Speaker Chris Robertshaw: For the final time, good afternoon honourable members 

Deputy President Juan Watterson: I assure you this is not a coup or a Trumpesque recount, Mr Skelly has gone off for the afternoon so I’m in charge

First off, a motion ‘of urgent public importance’ from Lawrie Hooper that Tynwald summon the Director of Public Health to the court to give evidence to these proposed changes. matter of urgent public importance’. Keys vote 9-10 and LegCo 4-4. The motion fails. 

Chief Minister: It seems ironic that having nearly lived and breathed it  foir two years, the last item we debate is Covid

We could’ve sought more views and debated them further

Often in times of uncertainty it may seem safest to wait

But there is a time when we have to move forward

These measures are largely what members debated in the workshops

Only change is to move the time back to 1am on Saturday morning

Changes largely relate to travel and how residents can go away over summer month

Tynwald previously approved our regs that got us to this stage

Previous changes made it easier to travel on and off island

June saw the vaccine exemption route which moved towards unrestricted travel 

Pandemic is the greatest challenge we’ve seen in generations

Hard to determine the right choices for our island, our people and our economy

Some decisions have been controversial but overall we’ve come together for our island

Members have passionately debated these changes with us

May be the last time we can substantially discuss changes

We have seen increased travel, partners and families recent and tourists too

Our border controls that remain are necessary to prevent uncontrolled importation of the virus

They are not perfect and never will be

Over 78% of our eligible adult population has had two jabs and more are getting there

We have an element of mitigation for unvaxxed residents, far fewer restrictions than we had before

Mitigations have been unable to protect our island from new cases

Virus was always going to return so we had to move from elimination to mitigation

England has removed its regs and the rest of home nations will follow soon

Normal life needs to start again

It is not without risk, cases, hospitalisations and deaths will sadly increase

The benefit provides a profound benefit in reducing extreme illness

Based on input from public and members, we are proposing these new changes from Saturday morning

By the end of today our schools will have broken up and over 90% of adults will have had second doses

Core changes relate to children, international travel and broader vaccine acceptance

Currently those 4 and under exempt from testing when travelling

CoMin is proposing this be increased to 11 years and under

International travel, with more countries going on the green lists, more people will want to travel further afield

We support the view that residents must not be unfairly discriminated against compared to UK counterparts

We will follow the green, amber and red lists

Green list countries will be the same as Common Travel Area, no testing or test and release depending on vax status

Amber will follow the same as England

But we do maintain power to amend specific countries but we hope we won’t need to use it

Exemption pathway is available to over 78% of adult residents and 69% of the UK

Looking over the summer, more vaccines are being developed around the world and lead to fully vax status

We will replace two plus two with a full vax status based on which vaccine you had

We’re adding Jansen, which has been used in Ireland, to that as of tomorrow

These changes will mean largely unrestricted travel for the majority

We recognise some people feel strongly about those who aren’t vaxxed being treated differently 

But it is not a long term position and we hope to be able to drop it by the end of August

We hope to move back to unrestricted travel by August 31 but it’s ‘hope not guarantee’

It may be September or October, but that will be up to the next gov

There will be more new cases and we have to live with it

As cases rise, we must ensure our processes are to respond

We must also be able to diagnose and isolate cases but day nine tests are less important

Majority of people are no longer infectious by day 10 even when they show a positive test on day nine

We must adjust our approach in line with the circumstances we can’t just eliminate all risks

The regs proposed dropping day nine tests will help to relieve pressure on 111 and will help to identify new cases quicker

Another proposal is to remove legal restrictions on travellers attending health and care settings

This does not mean we are accepting a higher level or risk

Instead we are moving to a dynamic situation that better reflects reality

Regs needs to be more flexible

Last 16 months been unprecedented

We must recognise once again of the coming together across our island and those who have worked so hard to keep the island going

We have to engage with public health officials to better understand the challenges to deliver the best outcomes

It has been a real challenge to lead this gov through this time but also an honour and a privilege

These regs take us forward while allowing flexibility to respond to issues

David Ashford: Releasing under 12s from isolating requirements is something that many people ask me about

They allow for other vaccines to be recognised

If the vaccine is recognised by the MHRA then its good

Using the traffic light party system allows us to live with it

We have to let people live and get on with their lives

The state has had to use powers we never wanted and now it is time to step out

One more step along the way

It is not the end product

Still have safeguards

We have to put mor empower and choice back into people’s hands

For many that is frightening and I don’t ignore that

We have powers to make changes if we need to

It is not a one way street

We need to focus on our internal borders, our individual borders

We need to decide what boundaries we are happy with, ventialtation, spaces, etc

I’m in Tynwald while wearing a masks, some of you also are, some aren’t, it is up to people to be allowed to live their lives

It is uncomfortable and difficult

It is not an exact science but is a step back towards the freedoms we took for granted

Rob Mercer MLC: These regs were based on a workshop on July 8

Situation has changed fundamentally since then
I will support them but I want to see other changes

Living with Covid doesn’t mean moving back to 2019, that’s gone

Some will never see the destination and some will get there 

This approach risks unnecessary deaths and long term sickness

This is a herd immunity programme

Covid is here to stay but living with Covid doesn’t mean let it rip

We must make the message that mitigations are important and may be with us for a long time

I am not ignoring cases and will not ignore the number of people in hospital

We also can’t ignore the potential long term health issues

Elimination has gone, it’s sailed, but mitgation must come with measures to help us live with it

You can’t just allow this to run unchecked through our society

Lawrie Hooper: I agree with Mr Mercer

These regs are the same we rejected to debate yesterday

Since then EAG has advised to make masks mandatory in certain settings

But they are ploughing on regardless

CoMin just refused to let us speak to Dr Ewart, why? 

Why won’t you let us have all the details we need to see?

This is the last vote before we are dissolved and hand them all the power

I don’t see why we’re here again

These regs don’t reflect the workshops we held

Members may have changed their minds but tell us why?

Have the courage to stand up and make your arguments

The virus has not got better, in fact it’s much worse than last year

It is a worse version of itself and yet our approach is to let it spread

What is the rush?

We’re not even pretending we’re going to control cases

We’re not doing anything

We’re asking people nice to please choose to some things

Some people can do that, others can’t, they need to work to make money

ERG has turned on the support and businesses are telling us they need help despite us saying we’re open

Whatever strategy this gov is following and if isn’t herd immunity, I don’t know what it is, it isn’t working

Only July 12 we had 12 active cases, today we have over 1,757

This is not living with the virus, this is allowing the virus to run rampant in our community

So where will we be in the next five days or 10 days?
Whatever we do now won’t change the next week but it may change the week after

Why are businesses closing and crying out for support?

What are we going to do about people isolating or people worried about cases numbers and going to restaurants 

The risk to me as an individual is up, that’s why people are isolating

I can absolutely understand why people are nervous and unconfident

This gov is not doing the right thing to help people mitigate

We’re moving too quickly

I understand the vaccine and border changes and children

What doesn’t make sense is the on-island changes

ERG is paying out because the situation is getting worse

Even ignoring the health implications, the sheer stupidity of allowing Covid to run rampant, just consider the economic costs

We’ve lost £240m to this and we’re reopening the tap

Members were up in arms about Mr Baker wanting £13m, but this could be much higher

So far I think the past two day’s measures will cost £2m-£3m

All this great noise about back to normal is not the reality with cases rising exponentially

The cases may not be important for health, but they are for the costs and social costs

Are you going to book a holiday to an island with over a seven day rate of 200 cases per 100,000

It is incredible that there are not mandatory measures on island to mitigate

I am sure that not all of CoMin is in agreement

Stop hiding behind collective responsibility, if you vote for it then you are responsible for what happens next

We are one week into this outbreak and businesses are asking for help

What are we hoping will happen? I’ve heard the logic behind why but what is the end goal?

Are we really going to rely on natural herd immunity, if it isn’t then somebody please explain to me what it is?

UK hasn’t gone as far as we’ve gone, they still require people to isolate if they’re a close contact

If you’re told to self isolate then you must do so immediately

Yet the Chief Minister just told us they relaxed all restrictions, that’s not the case

They’re going to make changes on August 16 because they know their vaccine status will be changed by then

That’s what we should do

The Health Minister said about safeguards in the regs, where are they?

We have no safeguards, we are reliant on the gov changing course

We have to move forwards

Remember baby steps, well this isn’t that, this is a big step

Noble’s is cancelling appointments so we’re not protecting that

We should be protecting health and the economy but we’re not doing either

Chief has all the advice he needs so answer this, what is the level of risk with releasing mandatory tests to release for close contacts?
How many cases will we see next week?

When will cases peak? When will hospital administrations peak?

How many under 18s will get Covid?

What is the cost?

If this is not a herd immunity strategy then what is this strategy?

I will support these regs if other measures come forward such as test and release and mask wearing

Masks wearing should be mandatory on public transport as recommended by the EAG

We need test and release as a requirement for anyone testing positive on lateral flow

Messaging needs to be stronger

Most of these changes can be done with changes in policy and if you do that, I’ll support you

But you do also need to look into vaccinating under 18s

Claire Christian: Mr Hooper has acted with professionalism

I also agree with the Health Minister that it’s time to step up and support each other

But it feels like alternative realities lay in front of us

If we get this wrong, we can’t go back

It feels like there are two parallel words of living with Covid

One is aspirational but we have to go through the practical living with it first

Aspiration has no restrictions but will we ever get there?

Surely we cannot resign ourselves to a long term future of up to 40 days in iso each year

Living with Covid is about protecting our infrastructure, our economy, our vulnerable and our children

We cannot and should not move too quickly

Jersey was in our shoes a week ago and now has over 3,000 cases and has mandatory face coverings in public places

Tenereif has just announced new measures too 

The very reason we relaxed our borders, which I didn’t support, was to support our economy but its biting us in the behind

No one will want to come here

Local businesses are suffering as people stay home

Whilst other European countries put in new mitigations any resident will need a fit to fly test and if you have to take one and fail it then you’d be annoyed to not be allowed to travel

Thanks for holding the workshop but three of the four wanted to keep close contact testing but instead you’re working to counteract a lack of availability

Three biggest reservations and I will not vote for these regs, they leave us vulnerable

The gov has taken its eye off the ball

More testing capacity is needed to support infrastructure and economy

I have grave concerns about opening up the island to returners from amber list countries

While I see why people want to go, it opens the door to more Covid

I would’ve preferred to see a more cautious approach

My final concern is no mitigations on island, including masks

I am very disappointed that this gov has not considered infrastructure risks

We can’t ignore case numbers

It won’t be long until our major retailers face disruption

Only today I saw a letter than a constituent has been granted a move by Douglas Council but they can’t do an inspection until cases go down

Strong guidance and mitigations for public spaces is needed, as the EAG said

We have the change to be proactive not reactive

Bill Shimmins: This matter is dominating everyone on this island right now

As the person who moved the motion to form the EAG it is sad to see their advice being ignored

You selected the members, they’re experts working for free, why aren’t we listening to them

The EAG has recommended wearing masks on transport and busy places

Despite this CoMin is objecting to it

I get that people have different views on masks but Jersey has quickly taken action to mitigate that

They do limit transmission of the virus and people will get used to them

Living with Covid doesn’t mean going back to how it was before

This is part of why face masks are a really sensible policy option

I am not calling for elimination but there is an enormous amount of concern in the public

Confidence is waning

We do need to move away from infection rates but we need to look at the number of people isolating which is having a big impact on people and businesses

It feels that doing nothing to slow the spread is not really helping

I am afraid that things are likely to get worse in the coming weeks

Hopefully they’ll get better but we need to help smooth the way

We need to give advice as the uncertainty can be crippling for some people

A face masks requirement is a nimble way to make a small change which have lots of upside benefits

Dr Alex Allinson: There’s obviously concern and fear in our community

We are not going for herd immunity, it is not a policy and will probably never be achieved with any coronavirus

It is unachievable

Neither is it policy to let it rip through

The make reason we have been restricting people is to build up vaccination in our community

Of the most vulnerable, 97% are vaccinated

All regs are there to delay the extent of the risk when you can deal with it in a better way

We spoke about flattening the curve, if you do that it goes for on longer

That risk is still there, we have to deal with it

I don’t like saying live with Covid, I want rid of it, but we need to

At the start of this we locked down and we’ve seen the damage that has done to them, their mental health and the economy

Had we not changed track on isolating close contacts it would be lock down by default with businesses forced to close

We have to move beyond self isolation of close contacts as the only thing we can do

Before us are regs which are all about the border and really quite straightforward\

What we are talking about is mandatory face masks

As a society we have talked about that in the past and the people who can’t wear one for any number of reasons

We have asked about making publicans deny people coming into their business

Mandatory face masks is unenforceable and so should it be

What we can do is take personal responsibility for our actions, for our neighbours and for our country

The message that needs to be put out over the summer is just that

We have said that we will turn off the tap if things get very bad

We need to look at the actual regs here, they are not about masks or isolation, they are about very simple measures which will help people

The border relaxations were primarily to visit their loved ones across

They were not relaxed for the visitor economy, they were for us to get off the rock now and again

I’m trying to paint the picture that we have these regs before us and yet we’re discussing things which are not in here 

Jason Moorhouse: I am really concerned about the casual nature of these regs

Some of them are great such as the recognising other vaccines

But looking at hospital cases and businesses being forced to close, people are worried

These regs cause many concerns, those aged 13 to 18 will be tested but can’t get vaccinated

Why are they being treated differently?

My constituents who have contacted me are concerned about these changes

This is the same level of confidence shown by King Cnut

Last time I voted in favour of regs but without mitigation I cannot go any further down this road

I worry you are not listening

Based this on what we debated three weeks ago is a concern

We’re going from baby steps to flying without wings

Why did CoMin vote to keep Dr Ewart away from us? It gives the impression that something is being hidden

This weekend there are too many businesses closed and people living in fear

It can’t be acceptable to move now

We can come back next week then

I feel like we’re being frogmarched and that people’s fears are being listened to 

We need to move forward in a safe and considered manner

Alf Cannan: I agree with Dr Allinson that a lot of what is being said is not about these regs but about the strategic direction that is being followed

These are good regs

Mr Moorhouse has summed up the problem, many people want to go back rather than forward

I understand the fear people have

We have been in people’s lives and telling them what to do for 16/17 months and should be proud of what we’ve done to protect our island

The hardest part is opening up and letting go and letting people start to live their lives

We don’t know what happens next

I want to be optimistic we can go back that yes Covid is with us but in the same way that the flu is with us

I accept there is concern about the level of cases

But no one has mentioned our world leading vaccine programme

We have had 3,000 cases since February and have five n hospital

There is one person in ICU and we all send our best wishes

Mr Hooper said we will have to take responsibility for the deaths and long Covid and yes we will have to be responsible for our decisions 

But only history will tell what was right and what was wrong

The view is that this outbreak will fizzle out and move, in the next couple of weeks, to a much better place

I asked for lab statistics and while there was a spike on July 15/16 and 19 but we’ve been dropping since then

Things could be plateauing, I don’t know I’m not an expert

You don’t need to be in Comin that the links between hospitalization and death have been broken

Who knows what happens with Long Covid? But we have to move forward

We have vaccinated people and should educate them and give them the choice in the same way we do with smoking and cancer

Some members are under the illusion this is easily controllable

Once we opened the borders, which everyone was onside for, we had an internal case and the virus broke free

We must remain calm 

There is still a need to work together then we must absolutely accept that

If you want to go out and expose yourself in crowded establishments then you know the risks

We need to support local businesses

We will get through this

For the last day or two Mr Hooper has lambasted against CoMin for not having expert advice

Yet he then finished his speech by saying ignore the JCVI advice and go for it and vaccinate under 18s

We’ve had no recommendations, it’s his view

Mrs Christian kept talking about her view

Despite the passion in this, we have to listen to the advice and interpret which parts are relevant and accurate

Like Dr Allinson I believe these regs are appropriate

Julie Edge: I don’t want to repeat what has been said

Not everybody voted for the changes in June, four of us voted against it, Mr Watterson, Mrs Corlett and Mrs Christian all voted against it

Stop going on briefing saying it was unanimous, it was not

International travel is a concern for many

We seem to portray that we’re following the UK system

Anyone coming here via UK are classified as transient and while they will have been tested away, they haven’t been tested in the UK and then come here without being tested on arrival

While I completely understand people wanting to visit their families abroad, we’re not saying we need to close the borders, we’re just asking for better mitigation 

So many businesses are closed it may as well be lock down

I have major concerns 

I agree with Mr Hooper, it is our on island situation that is a concern

We are impacting on our people

Mr Hooper said it will be 3,000 next week, but we don’t know when this started raging through our people

If we accept these regs then people will be able to come here from Amber countries and roam freely

We asked CoMin to make minor changes but we’ve had no chance to make amendment

I’d fully support coming back in a week’s time than rushing today

Why are scientists pleading with gov’s to slow down and think again, but we’re going further than the UK, why?

The Treasury Minister presented different figures to what is on the dashboard so which ones are correct?

The gov needs to protect the ‘Great Manx Public’

Test, test, test is gone, isolation is gone

I have real concerns about leaving them with so much power over the summer

Noble’s is already fully

I’d like to know how many people have had two jabs and then tested positive?

I also feel like the Chief Minister feels like some of our concerns aren’t real

Kerry Sharpe There are many positive aspects to these reg changes 

I hear that many people feel it’s time for the gov to step out of our lives

But that can be done with some mitigations in place

My kids are in school today with other kids whose families have Covid

We need to do what we can to mitigate and protect the most vulnerable

If those most at risk knew people were wearing masks then they would be less likely to lock themselves in

This peace of mind is what most of the island needs

I hear what Dr Allinson says that it is difficult to police face masks but mandatory masks

I will support the regs if mandatory masks are brought in

If you ask people to do things from a public health message then they are more likely to listen

We need to stand firm

Let’s come back next week

Tanya August-Hanson: Gov did this in such a way that we couldn’t amend them which is particularly unhelpful

Regarding a mitigation upgrade, that would require a very minor change in legislation

There were other issues which could’ve been recommended too

Prof Peter Edge, who is on the EAG, raised concerns about over and under 12 year olds and vaccine exemptions, which I share

EAG has recommended mitigations which I support

These regs don’t make sense, if a child of 12 refuses to take a test then what do we do? Do we get the Director of Public Health to force them to isolate? 

I think our ability to move with the changing picture is the backbone of the mitigation policy

People are need to take account of their own personal mitigations but some mandatory mitigation may actually be needed

We need to live with Covid but mitigations are important

Communications are still not right and that needs addressing, yet again

Rob Callister: I feel this comes down to communication, confidence and testing

I hope its a spike and that these come down shortly after

I am happy to support these regs

I voted against moving them yesterday because the timing was wrong

Speaking to the tourist sector, their staff feel highly exposed right now and some staff are just not confident to go to work

Some of the front of house services, especially when we’re welcoming people to our island, want lateral flow tests to re-establish confidence

Gef raised the issue of waiting times and I was surprised to hear the Health Minister say he knew of people waiting seven days

That isn’t good enough, if we can resolve that then it will rebuild confidence and that will help

The system is getting better and it appears that the appointment system is the problem 

If a person is waiting for tests then they are free to carry out their day to day lives, unless they have symptoms, until they are tested

It isn’t just the number of cases that is crippling our society, it’s people waiting for tests, we need to get them back into our society if they test negative

We need to focus on test, test, test

Guernsey has announced that it will test all travellers, even if they are double jabbed and Jersey is holding a briefing at 5.30pm today and look set to make changes

If they’re making these changes, do you expect to have to call Tynwald urgently if we need to make changes?

Daphne Caine: Generally supportive of the regs

Removing the need for exit testing makes sense

So does following the amber and green lists but we have go further and have no testing for any arrivals

The removal of testing for close contacts seems risky

There is no way of policing lateral flow tests, but we need the Manx public to do the right thing

We need to know how many people are estimated to get it, go into hospital and get long Covid

There is a notable difference in our local businesses but the cafe I went to at lunch time, only two of us were wearing masks

Why was EAG only given a short period of time?

Why can’t we hear from Dr Ewart?

What is your plan?

I don’t want to see the public’s confidence in CoMin which has seen us collapse over the summer.

I notice of the seven Ministers here today four of you are wearing masks.

Chris Robertshaw: I’ve believed that if you want to see a weakness in any situation, look at its strengths and see the mirror image of it

Our great strength has been the way our gov has handled lockdowns and border regs and that we’re surrounded by sea

The public built up confidence in gov actions so much so that they listened and we all returned back to normal life, albeit with closed borders

I think perhaps now, which is much more complex, where the enemy is becoming better at transmitting

Our weakness was on a strong reliance to believe that gov could deliver all the answers, we did too, but that has gone with the Delta variant

No surprise that there is some concern but the train has left the station and we have to pass the baton to the public to put up a personal border to be responsible for themselves 

We’re still left with a significant minority of people who want us to tell them what to do to stay safe and we must say ‘no, that is no longer the case’

We can’t just issue dictates that suggest if you do this it will go away, it won’t

We have to live with it to the best of our ability

Our greatest mitigation is people realising they have to think for themselves

We can’t just say you must wear a mask

We have to encourage people to act for themselves responsibly

We can’t not pass these regs as a significant portion of our public will think we’re losing it

There’s already an element of that now, we have to retain the credibility by passing these regs and stepping up our communication game

Graham Cregeen: I don’t think anybody put in their manifestos how to deal with a global pandemic

There’s sections of our community who have seen themselves as vulnerable and stayed at home and kept themselves safe and then they had the summer when they could go out and about while the rest was in lockdown

Then there was pressure on the business community saying they needed to open up 

We have to go out and knock on doors this summer with people either with us or against us based on what we’ve done

We’re going to have months of if things change people will ask what we’re going to do

People want a safety blanket in a society where it is very difficult to know what is going to happen.

You see it across the UK. Hospitals can’t treat people.

In COMEN we discuss all these and then I go to the Emergency Advisory Group and they have better ideas.

We need to improve communications and tell people what the next stages are.

We’ve asked Dr Henny to come to the EAG and Howard et al have agreed so we can discuss stuff with her. 

This is our last sitting. What are we gonna do in 4 or 5 weeks time when Tynwald is dissolved? We need to make a decision, people need to go where we are going.

These tourists aren’t that bothered about the economy. We need to make a decision and justify it. Sometime in a few weeks things will change. That is the unknown. We are making a decision on something that may change. 

You might get trolled on Social Media. But you need to stick to your vote. 

Ann Corlett: I agree there is good in these regulations. Howard won’t be surprised to hear I have some concerns.

Arguable that the last change in regs gave us more freedom. People have less freedom now – restrictions in hospitals and businesses are closing. 

Feel like the virus has been left to let rip. Appears to be herd immunity.

Some elements of these regs may fail us

We can’t rely on hope, hope is not a plan

We have moved into a world of mitigation and all I’m asking for is mitigation in the short term

Marlene Maska:  I don’t think we diametrically opposed 

It is a complex issue and hard to find a balance

I don’t see why we dropped close contact isolation when a majority of members were in favour

EAG has said CoMens needs to recommend masks ‘as a matter of urgency’

Our comms aren’t good enough

We need to let people know what the choices are and what the implications are

We need to get the comms clear

We need to move forward and these regs are nearly in the whole getting there

There needs to be an urgent attention paid to mitigation

We know it will get worse before it gets better but let’s try to mitigate that

Peter Greenhill: I am content and will support the regs

Regarding mitigation measures, I agree with strong messaging but have concerns over compulsory measures at this time. Let’s use pictures instead of words.

Tim Baker: Been a fascinating debate and what is clear to me is that everybody wants what is best for the Isle of Man

We have a simple decision, green or red button

We have ended up in a debate our general position which was inevitable

There have been some very positive things in last 18months and some very negative points

We’re on a journey and there is choppy waters

We can’t just got A to B, we need to be pragmatic

It was inevitable that we’d get to this point and it’s a question for how we deal with it

It’s time to hold our nerve and focus on where we’re going

This is a set meal and we have a choice of taking it or not. It’s not an all you can eat buffet,

This is about getting out of people’s lives and allowing them to make a positive personal choice 

I’m tired and hot and I just want a bev, but so are we all 

Mr Callister took his tie off. 

The Clerk looks banging though.

We’re all making different choices.

Some look elegant, some look sweaty. 

This is about people taking responsibility. Everyone has a different risk level. 

Covid is one health condition. We’re trying to balance 

We’ve taken brave decisions that had consequences

Earlier this week the Chief Constable’s report spoke of domestic abuse, suicides and mental health pressures, they are part of the decisions we made

We have a choice, they are difficult choices, but we have to make a simple decision, yes or no

EAG only recommended masks on public transport and CoMin will consider it.

Some of the suggestions today, like communication improvement, can happen regardless of the regulation changes. 

None of us wanted to face these decisions at the end of an administration.  

Impossible to 

If you’re not gonna support the regulations, be ready to arti culate it. 

Jane Poole-Wilson: Thanks.

Members deserve answers to questions they have raised. 

A recognition about the balance of confidence. 

We have to recognise that it will take people time to adapt from the gov mandating everything. 

I’ve heard a strong reassurance that gov is open and listening. 

Gov needs to ramp up comms and provide clear messaging. 

And we need to educate people on the impact of long covid. Need to make sure practical stuff is in place – Lateral Flow Tests, 111 Capacity. 

I’d like to seek reassurance that the EAG will play an active role in advising COMEN. 

We must have clear, strong, messaging moving forward. 

Chief Minister: Thanks guys

Two clear points.

1. Regs 
2. General Covid Response 

Please don’t think CoMin ever rests on our laurels. 

The regs proposed talk primarily to the travel position. 

Close contacts can wait to take a final test before they release themselves 

Every night before bed I look at Facey. It’s not always fun. I have a look at Mr Collisters blog (LOLS)

I like to wish people a Happy Birthday. Anyway, our ads are all over Facebook. 

The messaging is out there. But maybe it’s become wallpaper. Maybe we need to review to get the message over.

Getting Covid hasn’t given me herd immunity. 

We continue to review all aspects of our responses.

Hooper – I hear you on face coverings. Personal choice. 

There has never been an obligation on a person to get a test. 

We’re doing our best on this. I’ve clicked on something I shouldn’t have.

Hooper is on the Economic Recovery Group. We’ve ordered over 100k LFT’s, you wouldn’t believe the nightmare we had with customers.

We had 40,000 LFT’s and they were snapped up. We’re learning folks. 

I do agree with Mr Hooper that people are nervous. Doesn’t mean we can stand still tho. 

Mrs Poole-Wilson hit the nail on the head. People have become used to gov telling them what to do. And now they need to take personal responsibility.

Even if we used Saatchi & Saatchi our messaging wouldn’t be much better in the short term

Businesses and public services in the UK are struggling to move forward even with using LFTs

JCVI guidance is that the balance of benefits and risk is much harder to calculate for young people and there is differing advice

We’ve never mentioned herd immunity as the way forward

Mrs Christian I like your aspirational vision. We need a path on the journey. It’s not an easy path. We’re trying to get on the journey to living with it but we may be someway off. 

More testing = more cases = more isolation

Council continues to keep things under review. 

Police can’t police mask wearing. When I went to the UK I hardly saw anyone wearing a mask. 

Council does listen to EAG but we have other things to consider too 

Jersey has flip flopped on facemasks. We don’t want to reverse decision. 

We will do what is right for the Isle of Man

There are no perfect options here but we will consider all mitigation options

The vaccine is working

My heart goes out to those in hospital who need our support but my heart also goes out to women getting battered at home, of those with suicidal thoughts and people dying of cancer because they can’t get treatment

If we were to continue isolating close contacts there would be thousands in iso. We’ll keep it under review. 

Dr Al is obviously a Dr, which is helpful.

We need better communication.

Vaccination is a core tool in the toolbox along with Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air

As to green lights etc, we will only make changes, if Tynwald gives us these powers, if we feel a need to do so, we don’t intend to use them, but they’re there if we need them

Noble’s is having some issues with normal demand, there is only a small number of Covid cases

We have striven to protect the people of the Isle of Man for 16 months now and we won’t stop

I know we don’t all agree but surely we can all agree we need to move on

Ms August-Hanson said she was disappointed these regs couldn’t be amended but that’s just where we are

Kids 12-17 who don’t want a test can isolate and that hasn’t changed since the start of the pandemic

We need to work on our communication

What we’re trying to do is help people travel during the summer

I thank Mr Callister for his support and supporting the tourism sector

We will have LFTs here for the hospitality sector soon

We can do more and are open to suggestions

I thank him for looking at what Guernsey has done and we’ll continue to review it

Mrs Caine’s comments about close contacts taking tests, I think most LFTs will be used and most people who have contacted 111 for PCR have had LFT first

Modelling of the wave is hard to gauge as it depends on how people behave

Mr Robertshaw, thank you for your support, border closure elimination served us well in a short term but we need to move to a long term strategy

Cregeen, thanks for council throwbacks. Went to the dentist today, 3 people stopped me and said you’re doing a great job, don’t listen to the moaners. 

Please believe COMIN listen to what you have to say.

Mrs Corlett, thanks. Further testing for international travellers

Marlene Maska, thanks. 

Mr Greenhill. We can consider more pictures than words. Take comms criticism on board. 

Mrs Poole-Wilson. Thanks. “It takes time to adapt to the change”. You’re absolutely right. But we need to move forward, it will take time to adapt and change.

I think we need to look at new ways of doing the comms. 

Finally, I know you have concerns about mitigations but please don’t confuse them with these regs.

Vote: Keys: 16-5

LegCo: 8-0