Repatriated residents may be allowed to self-isolate rather than go into enforced quarantine in future, the Chief Minister told Tynwald’s Public Accounts Committee.

But Howard Quayle insisted this change of heart was ’based on the medical data and not lobbying by certain individuals’.

There has been criticism that Manx residents stranded overseas have been obliged on their return to the island to go into quarantine for 14 days in secure accommodation at the Comis Hotel.

Mr Quayle said it was the most difficult decision of his career and said he hoped none of the members of the PAC would have to take such a decision. He said the priority had been to protect life and prevent the health and social care services being overwhelmed.

He admitted: ’The repatriation scheme is not perfect - we were clear from the start it would not be for many reasons.

’We are in a different place to when we first closed our borders. We know where we are on the curve and we have increased our hospital’s capacity to respond.

’We have experience from three repatriation sailings so far. We let certain people go back to work if they could do safely. Our clinicians have indicated that they would be willing to support a move to self-isolation for repatriated residents under certain criteria.

’Council of Ministers have considered this and is willing to support such a move. Any such changes to our Covid response are only possible if the number of cases remains small and manageable.’

Committee member Chris Robertshaw said he had ’real concerns’ about elements of the repatriation policy and ’particularly its delivery’. He asked if there would be a thorough review and said there needed to be ’compassion in this process’.

Chief secretary Will Greenhow said: ’We are trying to deal with everything as compassionately as possible.’

Department of Infrastructure chief executive Nick Black said the rate agreed with the Comis Hotel was commercially sensitive but the cost to government averaged around £10,000 per week.

Returning residents have been paying a means-tested contribution of £875 towards their travel, accommodation and three meals a day.

Mr Black said the search of bags dropped off at reception by family members had been an error. He said the security company contracted by the department had been trying to assist the hotel, which had now changed its policy to allow alcohol and snacks to be brought into the rooms.

Interim chief executive of the Department of Health and Social Care Kathryn Magson said many of those who had been on the first and second repatriation groups had been on cruise ships or visited European and Far Eastern countries and presented a ’significant risk around the viral load’.

The Chief Minister said due to its current high-viral load, the UK is the biggest threat to the island’s Covid response right now.

Initially the government was aware of only 20 people affected by the border closure but this number rose to 160 and continued to increase.

He said a lot of options had been discussed including tagging but it was agreed this wasn’t practical given the pressure the police was under.

Speaker Juan Watterson asked how the risk of 30 returning residents a week compared with 5,000 people going back to work and the 197 individuals who had been granted exemptions by the DHSC.

Ms Magson said there was now ’positive optimism’ around the island’s management of the pandemic but at the time the decision on repatriation was made ’we had no idea we were going to be in this position - it was very early on.’

She was asked if the returning residents plan was devised entirely by the medics or whether there were political parameters. She replied the DHSC team had been asked on April 1 to consider a model for repatriation.

Ms Magson said most of the 197 granted exemptions to the ban on arrivals were patient transfer cases.

Only a very small number of key workers arriving from the UK had not been required to self-isolate given the urgency of what they were doing was considered more important than the risk, she said.

Mr Quayle said further details of the new policy would be announced this week.

Health Minister David Ashford said the repatriation policy was still being developed.