The Manx gov't has spent £5.8m on lateral flow kits

The Manx government has spent almost £6 million pounds on lateral flow kits since the beginning of the pandemic.

The figures come from the health minister who said the kits, which are currently provided to island residents for free, cost £2.35 each.

Lawrie Hooper said the total government spend since March 2020 has been £5.8m.

Demand for the homes testing kits shot up last month when the Covid testing policy changed. 

Currently people are encouraged to test themselves regularly and start a 10-day isolation on recording a positive result.

Isolation can end if two negative tests are recorded at least 24 hours apart.