The island’s politicians yesterday agreed to change travel rules.

From June 28 residents and non-residents will be able to travel to and from the island a fortnight after they have had their second jab.

The move came after the Chief Minister asked Tynwald to amend the Public Health Act.

Howard Quayle stressed it will help in moving the public to unrestricted travel, but a form for people arriving in the island will still be required.

This week’s move came after it was announced the borders would no longer open fully on June 28 as a result of England’s lockdown measures being extended until July 19.

Testing and isolation will no longer be compulsory if the person travelling meets the requirements of the two-plus-two (two jabs and two weeks) rule. Mr Quayle said: ’The move towards unrestricted travel is undoubtedly one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make.

’We had clearly hoped by now the position around our island and the British Isles would be better but we must adjust our position accordingly.’

Speaker Juan Watterson said: ’My principal concern is the preparedness of the Manx public.

’I don’t believe our people yet understand the consequences of this action.’

He expressed his fear that the focus was moving away from evidence.

He continued: ’The data is becoming inconvenient and the dates are becoming more important.

’But I do not advocate keeping our borders shut forever.’

Bill Shimmins, Middle MHK, supported the proposal.

’I welcome this and I think it’s sensible and follows the clear medical evidence,’ he said.

’We’ll never eliminate risk completely and the two vaccinations do prove a high degree of protection.’

He felt there was a ’much reduced impact’ on those who have already been vaccinated and will subsequently become infected with a much lower risk of hospitalisation.

Julie Edge, MHK for Onchan, had concerns surrounding fraud.

She said: ’I do wonder how the [border] officers will know how to deal with that.’

She also mentioned the treatment of children, which Lawrie Hooper, Ramsey MHK, also backed up.

Mr Hooper said there was a ’slight issue’ around the way children were being treated as people can opt into the testing regime but if a child is with a newly vaccinated two plus two family the rule is the child must have a test on day one and on day six.

’I wonder if that might put people off,’ Mr Hooper added.

David Ashford, Health and Social Care Minister, said: ’This was always going to be the difficult bit.

’There is no right balance and there is no wrong balance and there is a nervousness out there.

’We are in a very different place scientific knowledge wise than we were a few months ago.’

Another point that was brought up was the potentially ’discriminatory’ nature of the new process.

Garff MHK Daphne Caine said: ’This is a discriminatory decision and something that benefits non- residents over young locals.

’I would also make a plea to consider younger visitors.’

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Clare Christian added: ’This action today will be the first concrete action to divide us and I’m worried about that.

’We have a responsibility to safeguard all in our society.’

Mr Quayle said he appreciated that ideally they could spent longer coming to a decision and tweaks would have to be made.

He stressed there would be penalties for false declaration for vaccinations, that there would be increased police and customs activity in case of false vaccine declarations, and that children being tested was a positive move that ’surely protects’ them, especially in a school environment.

Mr Quayle said: ’If we don’t move forward we could be enabling more problems down the line than we’re solving.

’I can’t give any guarantees there aren’t increased risks as a result of this.’

The question of how a traveller could prove that he or she had had both vaccines was not addressed.

Today (Thursday) Mr Quayle is to brief the press on details of how the changes will be implemented, which can be viewed on our Facebook page.