Isle of Man lifts lockdown rules as pubs, schools and shops reopen with social distancing scrapped

The Isle of Man has today lifted all of its lockdown laws – with pubs, schools and shops reopened and social distancing and face mask rules scrapped.

The measures on the island – which is a self-governing dependency – were lifted in the early hours of this morning after a 25-day circuit breaker lockdown came to an end.

It comes after health chiefs recorded just 15 active and isolated cases yesterday on the island – located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.

But while the island’s 50 pubs have been given the green light to throw open their doors, its borders – which have been shut since March – remain closed to all but residents and key workers.

The tight border controls and strict isolation measures helped keep the island Covid free for seven months, until an outbreak after the new year led to a ‘short, sharp’ lockdown. 

Chief Minister, Howard Quayle MHK, today said: ‘After almost a month of lockdown, this is the moment we have all been waiting for. 

‘The Isle of Man has achieved local elimination of the virus for a second time, meaning the risk of community spread of…