Coronavirus: Key personnel spared the prison for violating Isle of Man Covid-19 law

Courts of the Isle of Man

Image description

Stewart Hislop and Stuart Strike pleaded guilty in the Douglas Courthouse via video link

Two “inconsiderate” hospital workers who violated Isle of Man Covid 19 laws by visiting pubs were spared from prison.

Stewart Hislop and Stuart Strike stopped to watch football on the way to buying a meal in two pubs after arriving from England on June 24th.

According to the Manx rules, key employees can avoid mandatory 14-day quarantine, but insist on self-isolation when they are not on the shift.

The couple admitted they had broken an order and were sentenced to four weeks in prison, which were suspended for 12 months.

Hislop (60) from Bradley Street in Burton-On-Trent in Staffordshire and Strike (48) from Hedgerows Road in Leyland in Lancashire were also fined £ 1,000 each at the Douglas Courthouse.

According to the applicable laws, the island border remains blocked for new arrivals unless they have been granted a special entry permit.

Key workers can enter and leave the island’s mandatory 14-day quarantine period, but are only allowed to travel between work and accommodation and must isolate themselves when they are not working.

The court heard that the men had received an exemption certificate for work at Nobles Hospital from June 24-26. After arriving by ferry on June 24 and visiting the hospital, they went to a hotel in Douglas around 7:30 p.m. CET.

They were told that the hotel’s restaurant only reopened on June 26 and the only food available was pre-salted chips.

The court heard that they then went downtown to buy a Chinese meal, stopped in two pubs to have a drink, and watch a football game that was shown.

The next day, a hospital colleague heard how they commented on how busy one of the pubs had been and they were reported to the authorities.

The judges sentenced her on Saturday and said that although the men were put in a “difficult position”, their behavior was “ruthless” and “put the Manx public at risk”.

Since May 20, there have been no new confirmed cases of coronavirus on the island.

Follow the BBC Isle of Man Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *