A further easing of the island’s border restrictions came into effect at 00.01am this morning.

The changes align the island’s border rules with the revised rules for those travelling into England announced last month by the UK Government, making travel to the Isle of Man as simple as possible.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK, said: ’Aligning our border restrictions with England is the right step and ensures our measures remain proportionate to the current threat.

’This is another step in the right direction ahead of our plans to remove all restrictions, currently scheduled for March 31.

’We’re able to take this step forward thanks to the high uptake of Covid-19 vaccinations in our community.’

Changes

The changes mean:

p No testing or isolation for anyone travelling to the island who is fully vaccinated

p No testing or isolation for any unvaccinated Manx Resident who has only been within the Common Travel Area within the preceding 10 days

p No isolation for any unvaccinated non-resident who has only been within the CTA within the preceding 10 days but will be required to have a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival

p No isolation for unvaccinated residents and non-residents who have been outside of the CTA within the preceding 10 days, but will be required to have a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival

p Anyone aged 17 and under arriving in the Isle of Man will be excluded from all travel related testing and isolation requirements, regardless of their vaccination status

The Chief Minister added: ’The removal of isolation for all travellers’ means travel will be easier for people to go abroad and return home.

’Additionally, allowing all children and young people under the age of 18 to enter the island without any restrictions will make travel much simpler for families, especially ahead of the half-term holidays.

’By keeping the PCR testing for unvaccinated travellers we can still monitor for any potential variants that may cause concern as we move further towards the end of March.’

The government also reiterated to all travellers that a landing card must still be completed before arriving on the island as well as a Manx Entry Permit and a vaccination exemption where appropriate.