The Lieutenant Governor has signed off emergency powers to enable the government to bring in measures to tackle the coronavirus threat.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle told Tynwald: ‘We must all work together to ensure the best possible outcome for people in the Isle of Man. It is who we are. It is what we do.’

He said the island situation brought with it some limitations, the most significant being at the hospital, which would not cope with an ‘overwhelming surge of coronavirus patients’.

Outlining all the measures, he said: ‘Whilst these are unprecedented measures, these are unprecedented times. We cannot allow our health care services to be in a position where they simply cannot cope.’

He said there would be more changes in the coming weeks.

Mr Quayle urged the island to come together as a community and to support each other, particularly those who find themselves in isolation.

He said: ‘We all have a role to play in this. I am asking everyone to do what they can to look out for one another. If you know a person who is isolating, as them if there is anything they need.

‘Together we can get through this but we can only do this if we come together.’

Health Minister David Ashford said there was still no confirmed cases in the island.

He said ’approriate action’ would be taken against those who flout the rules on self-isolation.

No penalty will be imposed on concerned parents who decide to keep their children off school for health reasons.

He said community testing points would be set up and the equivalent of the NHS 111 hotline developed to create a ‘triage situation’ so they don’t have to contact GPs and MEDs.

Elective surgery will be ended to allow time for staff to retrain.

Isolation areas will be created at Noble’s and the private patients'is going to be commandeered.

He said anyone showing symptom should not attend their GPs, they should not attend the hospital. They should either call their GP or MEDs.

Mr Ashford said theat self-isolation will apply to returning patient transfers but if they need to go back within that time there will be ways to achieve that following strict rules.

The Minister responded to calls for the chief executive officer in the DHSC, who currently commutes here each week from the UK, to be in the island full-time to lead the coronavirus response.

He said that the lead role was actually the responsiblity of the chief operating officer who is based on the island full-time.

Kate Costain (Douglas South) said there was a lot of confusion about the different types of self-isolation, saying there were elderly people worried whether they would be able to walk their dog.

Mr Ashford replied: ’When someone self-isolates that means they stay home. That applies to someone coming into the island.

’In terms of the over-70s we are advising social distancing.’‘By making these difficult decisions now, we will ultimately save lives,' the Minister said.Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan unveiled a £40m contingency fund to support struggling businesses.And he warned that £40m may not be enough.'These are unprecedented times and they call for unprecedented action,' he said.The measures introduced by Mr Cannan today are as follows:*Reduce to nil the rate of employer class 1 National Insurance contributions that are paid by certain sectors to alleviate staff costs. This will help to reduce the burden on affected businesses, such as:Tourist AccommodationCatering, entertainment and leisureTravel and tour operatorsLogistics to and from the Island*A grant of £3,000 will be available for businesses (in qualifying sectors) financially impacted by Covid-19.*To assist employers with the cost of sickpay for people who need to self-isolate, government will pay businesses that pay employees during self-isolation £20 a day for up to 10 working days in a consecutive period of up to two weeks, for each employee in self-isolation.The Treasury Minister has also directed that:*The introduction of new minimum work requirements for employed person’s allowance which were due to have effect from June 2 this year are to be postponed until April next year.Given the current situation with regards to Covid-19, the availability of new jobs or additional work hours is likely to be impacted for a considerable period. There is also a risk to the availability of employment advisors to support people to secure additional work.*Lone parents claiming Income Support solely on account of being a lone parent will be able to continue to do so until their youngest child reaches age 12. Until recently, this was due to reduce to age 6 from April 2. This postponement will apply for 26 weeks.*Anyone claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance will not be required to attend in person at a Social Security office to claim their benefit. Instead, applications can be submitted by post.New claimants should contact the Jobseeker’s Allowance Team to ask for a claim form to be sent to them.Anyone claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance will be temporarily excused from the requirements to sign-on in person at a social security office, usually once a fortnight.They will continue to be paid their Jobseeker’s Allowance, but they must contact the Jobseeker’s Allowance Team straightaway if their circumstances change, they do any work or they wish to end their claim*Workers who are not incapacitated for work and are not self-isolating, but are prevented from attending work and unable to earn a wage, will be able to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance.