Isle of Man government admits 'mistakes' led to worst Covid outbreak on Island

Mistakes around who had to self-isolate and confusion over paperwork led to the worst outbreak of Covid-19 the Isle of Man has seen, its government has admitted.

An independent report commissioned into the circumstances of the outbreak in February found that crew members of the Steam Packet Company - who were still actively travelling between the UK and the island for work - were not self-isolating as expected.

Instead it said that despite verbal guidance to quarantine when not at work, there was no legal obligation to do so, and documentation stated only non-Manx residents needed to.

Crew shift patterns also meant that many would find themselves in permanent isolation, and unable to work.

At the time the Isle of Man Government said both Manx and UK crews should be adhering to 'modified isolation' which means they can travel from the vessel to their accommodation, but must remain in isolation when outside of work.

The report was commissioned following the worst outbreak of coronavirus on the island, which saw four die and hundreds more infected.

Despite successfully containing the virus on the island and removing all social distancing measures at the end of the January the virus reemerged through an employee of the Steam Packet Company (SPC).

At the time of the outbreak, Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK, said there had been a "difference of opinion" over what crew members are expected to do on arrival.

The report found the Government did not prioritise "the overarching risk in relation to the continuity of SPC operations" including "delays in responding to emails from SPC requesting advice in relation to managing Public Health risks".

Author Stephen Hind, from Isle of Man Treasury, made seven recommendations, each aimed at the Isle of Man Government and its administrative obligations.

Each is focused on the importance of having structures in place to effectively manage risk, through systematic assessments, logs, analysis, audits and data sharing.

The recommendations include a call for the introduction of regular multi-agency meetings to review the Steam Packet’s Covid management arrangements, and for the company to implement an internal audit of its coronavirus risk management mitigations.

The report concluded however, that in many areas, the management of risk has already been significantly improved compared to the position at the time of the February outbreak.

In response to the report Chief Minister Quayle said: “This is an extensive, analytical report but I accept that there remain unanswered questions - and issues which are for others to answer.

"I have therefore referred the report to the Isle of Man Ship Registry, to consider whether further investigation is required and if necessary, to refer matters to other agencies.

"In picking over the detail however, we should remember that this was a period of intense pressure for those involved in the Island’s pandemic response, who were doing their best to serve the public."

Members of the Public Accounts Committee, who have been gathering evidence as part of an inquiry into the border protocols throughout the pandemic, have also seen the review.

The Steam Packet Company have been contacted, but have declined to comment at this time.

Full report can be found here.