Wes and Kathy Taylor, 69, had been on a cruise of a lifetime around South America when Covid-19 began causing lockdowns around the world.

Confined to their cabins for six days at sea, they were finally flown back to the UK on April 6 and were among the first group of 29 island residents to be brought home last week. Here Wes provides a diary of his first week in quarantine at the Comis Hotel.

Repatriation Day

A coach picked us up at Lancaster station and we were then taken to Heysham for another temperature test.

We boarded the ferry in a confined isolated manner for the short, very smooth crossing.

We have no issues with the manner in which this was carried out.

The coach drivers were marvellous.

On arrival we were confronted by police officers and shown a copy of what was expected of us and asked to sign a ’do and don’t’ document, given a room key and told to re-board the coach.

After the police escort to the hotel we arrived at the Comis Hotel to find armed police officers and a very smug arms-folded police superintendent which reminded me of the Commandant in the film ’The Great Escape’.

So now we are in an alarmed door room for the next 14 days.

Day one

Nothing much to do apart from watching TV, reading and doing crossword puzzles.

We await the knock at the door each morning for breakfast and again at lunchtime and dinner time.

We are allowed out for an hour between 4pm and 5pm just as it’s turning cooler and we are the only ones on that slot so no interaction with anyone even at 2m distance.

The exercise yard is a grass hill sloping from a door towards the lake about 40m by 20m surrounded by fencing.

No need for a watch tower as there is a police van with CCTV antenna and a guard watching you as you try and navigate the potholes around the exercise area. The highlight and most emotional part of the day was when our daughters sent us a gin and tonic each and bottle of wine delivered by room service.

A few tears were shed by both of us!

Day two

The day starts with breakfast and then the rest is very similar to day one.

The returnees have set up a WhatsApp group to keep in contact with each other whilst we are interned.

There is an air of frustration and anger amongst the ’inmates’ due to the armchair warriors spitting their vitriol and poisonous remarks on social media. It also spills onto the Manx Independent letters page but we are keeping ourselves bolstered with support for each other.

Day three

There is still the usual armchair warriors on line but we have now taken this as a way of life and beginning to ignore the myths being put out in the media.

To be honest this difficult situation is being fuelled by the spin put on our plight by ministerial press conferences about all the repatriated residents possibly ’having the virus’.

It is being cut and pasted by civil servants and handed to ministers to spout without any real thought for compassion.

Day four

Another day like the first three but the highlight is a change of towels!

The mood is beginning to change as new repatriates, that will travel next week, are asking about how things are and we are giving advice and hopefully comfort to those who will be coming.

We always look forward to the ministerial press conference each day. For the first time Health Minister David Ashford has acknowledged the poisonous views being put on social media. Perhaps he should brief his civil servants on the language used.

Now it’s not a virus it’s a disease, so we are really up against it!

Day five

Another day with no real change. We think that the chef/cook must have taken the weekend off as the food especially the evening meal was very poor, served cold or lukewarm. Let’s hope that the chef/cook comes back as soon as possible!

Tomorrow is bed linen change day so looking forward to getting clean sheets.

Our day is made very sad as we hear that my nephew (who is a twin) has been diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 52, so sad for someone so young and now not being able to visit him. A virtual hug is all we can do!

Day six

Eureka! The powers that be will now allow us to have a newspaper!

At our expense of course, but at least a step in the right direction and being treated as human beings rather than human guinea pigs!

I think at last the powers that be are beginning to realise that we do not pose the threat that ’The Model’ suggests.

In fact, we are probably safer and healthier here than being in the outside world.

Day seven

Well, half way through the internment today and none of the 29 has a whiff of the Covid-19 virus.

This must be an embarrassment to ministers who assumed by now at least one or two of us would be falling over.