Earlier this week, I wrote to the Isle of Man Treasury Minister, Alf Cannan, about how Douglas East businesses were saying “It’s not a lockdown, it’s going to be a closedown.“

Cannan has responded to such outcries across the community by increasing support for isolating workers, and just minutes ago, he announced a new support package for businesses hard hit by the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. This is good, and is a step in the right direction!

This support is limited to only financial support, and does not yet respond to community calls for the Isle of Man Government to stop keeping its scientific advice a secret. The Government’s financial support will help people and businesses in the Isle of Man with the financial problems that they face in the short-term, and the next step of being more transparent would help workers and businesses plan in the longer-term.

Michael Josem is a long-term consumer advocate, most prominently as a global leader in combating fraud in the online gambling industry. He was in part the inspiration for the 20th Century Fox Movie, Runner Runner, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Josem has over a decade of experience as a senior business leader working across various high-tech and online industries, and takes action to build a better community. His primary volunteer roles include service for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Graih, the homelessness charity.