Coronavirus: Isle of Man students offered help to retrieve belongings from UK – BBC News

Manx students who cannot collect property from the UK due to coronavirus restrictions will get government help, the education minister said.

Many of those who returned had to leave belongings behind when it was announced that the island would close its borders on 27 March.

Alex Allinson said he was aware of the issue and the government would “need imaginative ways of dealing with it”.

Anyone worried about possessions should contact the education department.

Students or family members who leave the island to collect property would not be eligible for the repatriation scheme, Dr Allinson said.

Lauren Kaye, a student at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, was among those on the final sailing on 27 March.

She said she had to pack everything she could “into a suitcase, handbag and backpack” and had to pay almost £2,000 in rent to store the rest of her belongings.

Joseph Cannell has been studying at a college in Dumfries but was on the island for work experience when the borders closed.

“I only packed for four weeks so all my other stuff is currently stuck in Scotland,” he said.

University of Hull student, Sam Mills had less than 24 hours to pack everything he needed, including material for his dissertation.

“About 90% of my stuff is still in my room,” he said.

He is a cricketer with the island’s national side, which is in discussions with the government about resuming training.

However, he said he would have to limit his training when it did restart as he had to leave his kit behind and would not be allowed to borrow any under the proposed restrictions.

Source: bbc.co.uk