It’s one of the biggest stories of the year.

How are we going to come out of lockdown?

The Manx Independent reports details on page one.

It hasn’t been an easy ride for the Council of Ministers over the last week or two.

And backbenchers aren’t happy. We report their views inside.

In addition, Education Minister Dr Alex Allinson has defended the government’s handling of the current Covid-19 outbreak and the delay in closing schools.

And he has admitted that the past two weeks have been toughest of the whole pandemic.

Also this week:

Elections for local authorities have been delayed again. They were due to be held in next April. Now they’re pencilled in for July.

Emma Blackburn is raising money for the Isle of Man Air Ambulance service in memory of her late brother William, a pilot who died in an air crash.

Around 6,000 people have signed a petition just this week over proposed changes to the way vehicle tax is worked out amid fears motorists could be hit by ’crippling’ increases.

Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale has questioned why the amenity sites have been shut. ’I don’t see any plausible reason for the sites to be closed,’ he says.

How has lockdown affected children? We ask experts about how to help them during this difficult time.

Increased measures to protect the Earth’s atmosphere from ozone depleting substances, under an international treaty, have been extended to the Isle of Man.

Maddy Burger, who lost two sisters and her mother to cancer, is to walk 100 miles over five days to raise funds for brain cancer research.

One day, when we are free to travel the world again, it is possible that you’ll walk into a bar in New York and, in the corner, you’ll hear someone playing traditional Manx music. Find out more in Island Life, our leisure and pleasure section.

Grime and urban artist Toby Caulfield has secured his first big step on the way to forging his professional future in music.

Manx singer Becky Lawrence is set to release her latest single ’What is Life’ and is hoping that her new more mature sound will help her build on her success from last year.

Two local photographers, Sue Blythe and Keith Burns, are celebrating after each scooped a prestigious UK photographic award.

Lots of photographs from World Book Day in the centre pages.

The big sports news is the cancellation of both the Festival of Motorcycling and the Southern 100.

That’s the main news on the back page.

There is also plenty of community news, a page of your letters, our new puzzles pages and a seven-day television guide.

The Manx Independent is in the shops now.

But you don’t have to go to a shop to buy a copy.

You can also read it online if you buy the digital edition. It should be uploaded by 7.30am.

To find out how to buy it, go to the ’Digital Editions’ section of the website on the grey line near the top of this site or watch the video below.

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