Middle MHK Bill Shimmins has warned he fears about the longer term impacts of Covid-19 on the island’s demographics.

Mr Shimmins noted that while younger people have been hit less hard by the virus medically, they have faced tougher financial difficulties and may seek pastures new.

While welcoming most of the government’s medium-term response to Covid-19 document in Tynwald this week, Mr Shimmins said it is important to focus on the virus’s impact in the context of our island where our demographics are ’heavily weighted’ to the elderly.

The island’s older population creates specific health challenges for the Covid-19 response and shielding has been facilitated by the Department of Health and Social Care and the third sector.

’Conversely, the number of young people has been falling as they leave the island and this is a concerning trend,’ he said.

Mr Shimmins (pictured) added: ’What will this crisis do to that trend? The virus has generally not hit the young’s health as badly, but economically they are generally the most negatively impacted.

’They are also the most mobile and most likely to leave. The strategy has been a bit of a one-size fits all one. It could be more effective, if it took account of these clear inter-generational issues and different aspects.’

The most recent census showed a drop in population from 84,497 people in the 2011 Census to 83,314 in 2016. It showed that while the island’s population fell, the biggest decrease was in people in their 20s which also coincided with a drop in the birth rate and a rise of the island’s median age from 41.1 (2011) to 42.5.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle noted the island has an older population, which meant the government has to ’tread carefully’ with the Covid-19 response.

However, he did not address the issues over demographics at the end of the two-hour debate.