d03f4472-b24c-4545-8c4c-d08288259241

3

ISLEOFMANEXAMINER

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 www.iomtoday.co.im

NEWS

newsdesk@iomtoday.co.im

Restrictionsontravel areeasedforresidents

Agovernmentreviewofdeath certificates since the start of the pandemic has identified tenadditionaldeathsasbeing Covid-19 related, taking the total number of deaths in the island to 48. The government said that morethan1,400deathcertifi- cates fromJanuary 2020had been reviewed for any men- tionofCovid-19, regardlessof whether the individuals had thevirus at the timeof death. In some instances, ‘the cause of deathmay only have been confirmed after a pro- longedperiod’, it said. Threeof the10deathsnow classified as Covid-related were reported on Monday (September 6). Since then, seven other deaths have also been identi- fied as covid-related. Deaths are no longer re- ported on the government’s Covid-19 online dashboard. Director of public health DrHenriettaEwartsaid: ‘Hav- ing completed our review of death certificates going back to the start of the pandemic, we will continue to monitor causes of the death on the Is- landonaweeklybasis forour ongoingsurveillancereports. ‘This will ensure we have the full picture and that all Covid-related deaths are in- cluded in official figures and is in line with methods uti- lisedby other jurisdictions.’ Chief Minister Howard Quayle said: ‘It is absolutely vital thatthegovernmentand thepublichas the fullpicture inrelationtoCovid-19andthe loss of life inour community. ‘Given the wider range of settings and time delay that can occur in certification, the Council of Ministers has agreedthat theweeklypublic health surveillance reports will be used as the primary method for reporting Covid- relateddeathsgoingforward. ‘Whilst this will mean a shifttoweekly insteadofdai- ly reporting of any Covid-re- latedfatalities, it is important thateveryonecanhaveaccess toaccuratedataandthat they can have faith in the com- pleteness of that data.’ Thereportsareatcovid19. gov.im/guidance-for-public- health/weekly-public-health- surveillance-report/ related deaths added to island’s total toll 10more Covid

risk’ with regard to vaccinating this age group. Public health director Dr Henri- etta Ewart said that the government would ‘look at what comes out from the [UK] chiefmedical officers indue course,andthentherewillbeanissue of howwe assess that for our context on island’. TheChiefMinisterwasalsoasked whether there were any plans to in- troduce vaccine passports to attend certaineventsandvenues (likenight- clubs),whichwill be thecase inScot- land fromOctober 1. England however recently an- nounced itwouldnot be introducing vaccine passports in these contexts. Mr Quayle said the government wouldbe ‘monitoring the situation’. MrAshfordsaidthat ‘Atwearenot suggestingthatwearegoingtobe im- posinganyrestrictionsonanyevents on island’.

Thegovernmentisalsopublishing a revised plan titled ‘learning to live inworldwithCovid-19’whichsetsout its decisionmaking over next one to threemonths. It isavailablefromgov.im/covid19. The Isle of Man Examiner’s re- porter asked what will happen with regard to the vaccinationof children aged 12 to 15. The UK’s JCVI (whose advice the island follows) has decided not to recommend this, but the UK’s chief medical officers have now said that the age group should receive at least one dose. Health Minister David Ashford said in the briefing that he would think it unlikely that the UK govern- ment would go against JCVI advice, but that if they did so, theManx gov- ernment would have to seek advice from its own public health profes- sionals and ‘weighup that balanceof

Chief Minister Howard Quayle and HealthMinister David Ashford have announced the easing of travel re- strictions for residents. Residents aged 18 and over who are not fully vaccinated will (from the last flight and ferry tomorrow, Wednesday) no longer have to apply for aManxTravel Permit. And those residentswho are fully vaccinatedwill no longer have to ap- ply for a vaccination exemption. Landing forms will still be re- quired for all travellers, including a healthdeclaration form. Also fromThursday thisweekthe government isremovingtherequire- ment for testingandisolationforany resident who is not fully vaccinated, so long as they have only travelled withintheCommonTravelArea (the UK, Ireland and the Crown Depend- encies) in the past ten days before travelling to the island.

by Paul Hardman

Scanners will also be installed at border points to allowpeople to ‘self serve’ by scanning the digital QR codesontheirtraveldocumentation. Lastly, Peel harbour will be par- tiallyreopeningfromThursday, Sep- tember 16. However, there will be ‘limited windows for docking’ and booking will be required. MrQuaylesaidthat theCouncil of Ministers hadmade these decisions ‘aftercareful consideration’ andthat it represented ‘another baby step’. This briefing was the first ‘rou- tineupdate’ held sinceAugust 5, and Mr Quayle said that this time gap re- flected the ‘broadly stable situation both here and across the water’, and that therehadbeena ‘plateau’ incase numbers on island.

Theprotest that highlightedrawsewage beingdumped inPeel bayattracteddozens of peopleearlier thismonth MIKEWADE2109095 (17)

Newsewageworksplannext year

Asiteselectionprocess foranewsew- ageworks inPeelwon’t be completed until early 2022, saysManxUtilities. Meanwhile, the authority says there are no operational issues with the existing pipeline that releases sewage near the breakwater. Protesters have called on the gov- ernment to warn the public against swimming in Peel bay, and for action to be taken as soon as possible to im- prove bathingwater quality. The issue led to a demonstration onSeptember 5. Manx Utilities is meeting Peel

TheMU says its ‘thorough assess- ment’ will consider environmental, operational, population, technical andfinancial considerations. Included in the assessment is the optiontopumpawaytoMearyVeg, the central treatment works that serves Douglas, Onchan, and towns and vil- lages in the south. Thespokespersonsaid: ‘Thereare no operational issues with the Peel outfall and the pipeline is inspected regularly alongwithall other outfalls around the island. ‘The pipe-laying work which has

been taking place in Peel in prepara- tion for a treatment solution will re- start once methods of working near the fuel pipelines have been agreed with the operator and how to safely workwithinsomechallengingground conditions have been resolved. ‘During the pipe-laying activities, Manx Utilities has taken the oppor- tunitytoreinforcesomewatersupply infrastructuretomaximisethebene- fitsofcivilworkswithinthequayside.’ Representatives from the MU are briefingthetowncommissionersthis Thursday.

by JoanneClague

Commissionerslaterthisweektopro- vide anupdate onprogress tofinding a solution. A spokesperson said: ‘Manx Utili- ties remains committedtodelivering anappropriatetreatmentsolutionfor sewagefromthePeel catchmentarea. ‘Aswehavepreviouslyadvised,we have been undertaking assessments ofpotential sitespreviouslyknownto usandsitesnotifiedtous throughthe public calls for sites process.’