Originally Posted by
JSCL
I’ll be frank, I have travelled off the Island only a matter of weeks ago and travelled to four other countries (including the UK), then completed my self isolation period. It was very interesting to see different approaches to the virus and more than ever, makes me think the IOM should align itself less with the UK and how the situation goes there, compared to what I’ve seen elsewhere. Everywhere other than the UK actually had the feeling of normality, bar the obvious limitations regarding mask usage in certain scenarios and settings. Not like that which I have become accustomed to, but not far from it.
I think outside of the older population, most folk are starting to see that whilst this current situation is a benefit to living in this great Island, it has also shown how small the place can feel. It’s not a matter of selling out, but a more thought out approach to facilitating certain types of travel with a more rigorous testing regime. You cannot think only about the here and now, but must think ahead and beyond the virus.
I could not agree with you more. ''A more rigorous testing regime'' has been wholly absent here in the Isle of Man. The brilliant Rachel Glover is the expert in molecular ecology, bio-surveillance, bioinformatics and genomics who found some old disused testing equipment at Noble's and got it back up-and-working thereby providing the locally based testing facilities which have been of such very great benefit to the island. She is seriously furious at the IOMG's hugely inadequate scope of its testing regime. She has gone on record now with some of her anger and at yesterday's IOMG Press Conference the Health Minister tried to address her complaints but it sounded as if he really failed to do that. You can see some of Rachel's views on this here (see her posts on 8 & 13 October 2020):
https://twitter.com/rachomics?lang=en
I am going to be away from more than occasional very limited online access for the next couple of days so I shall just wish everyone a very good weekend. Stay well.