The Manx government has issued a statement after the UK decided to introduce new measures for people travelling from China.

It says it ‘notes’ the UK Government’s decision to strengthen Covid-19 surveillance from January 5 for passengers travelling to the UK from China.

‘With no direct flights between China and the Isle of Man, the Council of Ministers has agreed to monitor developments and will keep the situation under review,’ the statement reads.

Covid cases in China continue to surge after Beijing’s decision to end most of its severe pandemic restrictions.

The UK government has said airlines will be required to check that passengers from China have a negative Covid test before departure, with travellers required to show evidence of their negative result.

But people arriving in the UK from China will not be required to self-isolate if they test positive for Covid-19, the UK’s transport secretary said.

The UK Health Security Agency will also initiate surveillance from January 8 in which a sample of passengers arriving in England from China will be tested for the virus as they arrive.