As we progress rapidly through the vaccination programme and our defences as a community increase, the Island is moving from a strategy of Elimination (aiming for the removal of Coronavirus from our Island) to one of Mitigation (accepting that we must live with Coronavirus but maintaining and developing the tools needed to manage it).
In a mitigation strategy, we aim to reduce the need for legal restrictions or requirements. The personal choices and individual measures we all take will play a major part of our defence against Coronavirus. You can help protect our Island by:
- Being SAFE – and adopting healthy habits to protect yourself and others from Coronavirus. Think Hands, Face, Space and Fresh air in every situation.
- Being SMART – and making informed personal decisions. Use trusted data sources to make choices about who you visit, what you do and where you go.
- Being KIND – and respecting others. Everyone’s situation is unique. Be kind and respect the choices that others make to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
Coronavirus is highly contagious and it especially spreads through Close Contact, in Crowded Places and in Confined Spaces. The risk increases when these factors overlap.
Hands, face, space and ventilate
Wash your hands
Fact: Coronavirus can live for more than 24 hours in indoor environments.
What you can do:
Effective handwashing and drying can help to reduce the spread of infections. Washing your hands properly with soap and warm water or using alcohol based hand gel and drying your hands thoroughly can help protect you, your family, children and others.
See Handwashing
Ventilate indoor spaces
Fact: If someone breathes in virus particles that are suspended in the air, they can become infected with COVID-19. This is known as airborne transmission.
What you can do:
Ventilation is the process of introducing fresh air into indoor spaces while removing stale air. Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
See: Ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus
Social distancing
In the Isle of Man there is currently no requirement to maintain a distance of 2 metres from those outside of your household
Fact: Transmission of the virus is most likely to happen within 2 metres, with risk increasing exponentially at shorter distances
What you can do:
Remaining mindful of your surroundings and continuing to make space has a powerful impact when it comes to containing the spread. Stay respectful of others around you who continue to practise social distancing
For detailed guidance see: Guidance on social distancing
Face coverings
In the Isle of Man, some service providers may still require face coverings as a condition of entry and people may wish to continue to wear a face covering as a personal choice.
Fact: Face coverings reduce the dispersion of smaller droplets of the virus, called aerosols that can stay in the air indoors for at least 5 minutes
What you can do:
Face coverings reduce the dispersion of these droplets, meaning if you’re carrying the virus you’re less likely to spread it to others when you exhale. Wearing a face covering helps you protect your friends and family.
For detailed guidance see Guidance on face coverings
COVID-19 vaccination programme
As more of the population are vaccinated, we expect to see lower transmission of the virus and fewer people becoming ill or dying from the virus. In the Isle of Man, more than 50,000 people have now received their first dose of the vaccine.
Fact: While vaccines help to protect you against serious health complications associated with viruses, they are not 100% effective, meaning you can still get infected.
What you can do:
- Continue to protect yourself and others even if you have been vaccinated by keeping your distance, practising good hand hygiene, wearing a face covering and letting fresh air in.
- If you have symptoms, get tested even if you have been vaccinated. It is important to know if you have COVID-19 so that you stay at home, self-isolate and do not infect other people.
See COVID-19 vaccination programme
Events and gatherings
What this means for businesses or those organising a gathering or event:
You should continue to carry out regular risk assessments and take precautionary measures to create a safe environment for your staff, customers/audience. This includes:
- Undertake a risk assessment on the COVID-19 risks to your staff and customers/audience
- Ensure you have facilities to support strong hygiene practices for your staff and customers/audience
- Consider holding events or meetings virtually, where possible. If not, consider allowing people to sit with space between them and ensure there is good ventilation in the meeting room/venue
- Think about maintaining a good cleaning regime in shared areas, such as bathrooms or kitchens
- Promote positive messages to raise awareness of the risks and to help your staff and customers/audience make informed choices around these risks
- Ensure your staff and customers/audience know that they must stay at home if unwell and remind them of the symptoms
- Ensure you have up to date staff records and where possible attendance records for contact tracing
- Consider how best to ensure good ventilation in your premises and fresh air as part of your risk assessments
- We encourage individuals to think about whether they want to work from home to reduce their daily contact and risk. We encourage businesses to support staff in making this decision
Some useful links:
Considerations for events and gatherings - CDC
Assessment of transmission of COVID-19 in singing and music events
Guidance COVID-19: suggested principles of safer singing
Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) - Performing arts
Some of the above facts have been adapted from Public Health England.