Covid: Six new Covid cases see Isle of Man cluster rise to 25

Six fresh cases of coronavirus have emerged on the Isle of Man overnight taking the total number in a new cluster to 25.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said all were close contacts of infected individuals and were isolating.

Contact tracing and testing was "keeping track of the virus", he said.

While the outbreak still had the potential to "require a heightened response" ministers believe the cluster was "contained", he added.

Mr Quayle told the House of Keys more than 170 people remain in isolation and had been offered tests, and surveillance testing of those who had attended a café of concern in Douglas had so far returned no further positive results.

Customers and staff at the Java Express Coffee Shop and Noodle Bar were told to self-isolate as a precaution after a second case was linked to the eatery on Sunday.

The cluster stems from an island-based member of ferry crew.

Crews from both the UK and Isle of Man work on the Ben-my-Chree, and both are required to wear PPE and practise social distancing onboard.

Mr Quayle said there had "clearly" been a "breakdown" in the adherence to those rules, which was now being investigated.

"We need to understand how that has happened and what can we do to ensure that it doesn't happen again, and that we plug that hole," he said.

Talks between public health officials and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company over rules for crew members were ongoing, he confirmed.

A total of 462 people have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, with 25 deaths.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]