A new report from an influential island body is likely to fuel speculation that the island may delay fully reopening its borders later this month.

The Emergency Advisory Group (EAG) believes there are ’significant risks’ to the island from the current plan to open borders on June 28.

It warns this is in the context of UK transmission rates and in particular the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The EAG is a non-statutory group, appointed by the Council of Ministers.

In a document published in response to CoMIN’s request, the group suggests ’early messaging’ to the public regarding the spread of the Delta - or Indian - variant of Covid-19 in the UK.

It also says that there remains a potential for a change to the borders opening plan in the event of a sharp spike in cases in the UK.

The EAG includes Dr Rachel Glover who established the first on-island testing centre.

The EAG’s response says a minority view was that ’level three’ border controls - consistent with the Exit Strategy framework on current levels of UK infection - should be reintroduced now for a short period of a month to six weeks to avoid an additional lockdown this summer.

The current level is 2.5 and this ’represents a compromise between the risk of infection from the UK and the need to maintain a level of travel between the Isle of Man and the UK for residents and their families as well as essential workers’.

The EAG said it sees the current UK Covid-19 case numbers as ’presenting an early warning’.

It added: ’If the UK infection rate and hospitalisation rate continues on their current trajectory, CoMIN is advised to reconsider its exit plan’.

The group goes on to say that the Delta variant, originating in India currently poses the ’most significant risk’ to the borders reopening.

’This is due to its high transmission rate and the lack of domestic mitigations currently in place in the island.

’This highly transmissible variant, together with the day 0/6 testing regime creates a risk of uncontained community transmission in the current environment.

’While the group acknowledges that higher numbers of people with two vaccinations reduces this risk, the residual infection rate of 20% is likely to cause outbreaks or clusters.

’Further, the group believes that as the current vaccination programme will not see most adults fully vaccinated until July, a moderate to high level of residual risk remains until the vaccination programme is completed.’

The EAG adds that the island’s current vaccination rates for second doses of the vaccine are currently lower than the UK’s at the present time and warns: ’This presents a higher level of risk to the population from variants of concern’.

The group is said to feel strongly that every effort should be made to progress the vaccination programme to ensure each adult has had two vaccinations as soon as possible and to follow the recently announced United Kingdom guidance on 12-to 15-year-olds being eligible for vaccination.

The Isle of Man government is expected to annouce its plans for the end of the month in the coming days.