Residents are being encouraged to support Manx businesses as we emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown.
Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan said that islanders should buy from local shops and plan for summer staycations this year.
He said when the Covid-19 pandemic started, there was ’a widespread acknowledgement that we needed to think local, act local and buy local’.
’Now we need to keep going with this mantra as our businesses open up. Your support now for local businesses will help stabilise our economy,’ he said.
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’It will help maintain jobs and it will create opportunity. Please, I ask, if you’re going to spend your money, think local, act local and buy local.
’Of course as we approach the summer season, we all hope that the virus will remain suppressed and that we can open up more of our business and industries.
’Given all of the uncertainty, it is likely that many of you may now choose to spend your summer breaks and holidays on the island. A well-planned staycation this year will be an added bonus to the domestic economy.’
opportunity
Mr Cannan said that the Department for Enterprise will be working towards how to maximise the opportunity for local businesses which have suffered due to Covid-19.
He also outlined the extension to the Salary Support and MERA schemes approved in Tynwald on Tuesday. The MERA scheme, set up to help those out of work due to the lockdown, will continue until September 20, rather than its planned June 28 end date.
Similarly, the Salary Support Scheme will run until August 17, with a provision to extend this if necessary until September 16, rather than end on May 25.
It is expected that the Salary Support Scheme will have paid out about £30m in its first 12 weeks to support local businesses, protecting an estimated 11,000 jobs and 1,000 businesses. Meanwhile MERA will cost about £5m and will support about 2,000 people.
Mr Cannan told Tynwald: ’Although I am extending the support schemes today, I would like to make it clear that this cannot continue indefinitely.
’There is an expectation that businesses that can now return to work make every effort to do so - keeping public safety in mind.’
â?¢ Just one new case of coronavirus has been confirmed so far this week. The number of active cases was down to 10 as we went to press.