Chief Minister Howard Quayle has said the government ’has a plan’ to allow residents to return to their island, but he won’t reveal it just yet.

The decision to block residents from returning to the island was criticised by those stuck in the UK and politicians. However, Mr Quayle said the Council of Minister was following advice from clinicians.

With residents and politicians demanding answers, the Chief Minister today told Tynwald that he will make an announcement on Monday about how residents will be able to return as there are still some details to finalise.

It appears likely that they will be required to travel to Heysham and return to the island by boat.

Mr Quayle said: ’I am pleased to report that excellent progress has been made to unpick this Gordian Knot.

’We have a plan, we are close to finalising the rigorous protocols that may allow the return of our residents in a managed, safe, staggered manner.

’We will be working to finalise the details over the weekend and importantly, ensuring that our clinicians are 100% content. We will make a full announcement.’

However, despite the government climbing down on allowing residents back to the island, some still have to reach the UK. This responsibility lies with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Mr Quayle said that those seeking to return to the island, will not be able to just turn up at Heysham to book onto a boat, they will have to be invited.

He has previously said that the decision to close off the island to residents in the UK was done to protect those who are already here. At the start of his Tynwald speech, he said that those wishing to return were ’the biggest threat’ to people in the island.

The move was denounced earlier this week by MHKs including Bill Shimmins who told Tuesday’s Tynwald sitting ’it is far from heroic to abandon our own people’.

Others such as Clare Barber (Douglas East) queried the legality of the decision and raised concerns about what would happen to any residents off island if they were to become ill.