The Isle of Man is not going into a legally-enforceable lockdown.

Instead, ministers are advising people not to mingle or go to public places.

The fact that that it is only ’advice’ means that pubs and other venues can choose whether to open tonight.

A media briefing was held this afternoon after two cases of community transmission of Covid-19 were identified.

Community transmission means that contact tracing staff have not been able to find out how the people who have the virus got infected.

In the recent cluster, they have been able to trace the transmissions.

Director of public health Henrietta Ewart said that the new cases might be linked to the recent cluster - but that might never be conclusively established.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle told the media this afternoon that the government was advising people organising events to cancel them.

While this is not a legally-enforceable measure, that might yet come.

Another media briefing is to be held tomorrow after medics and politicians weigh up more evidence to see if the situation merits a full lockdown.

In any case, the legal drafting for a new lockdown to be enacted now had not been done, Mr Quayle said.

Mr Quayle said: ’The overall risk remains low. There is no need to panic.’

Tomorrow we should get a clearer picture of what will happen regarding public venues, shops and schools.

A list of venues attended by the people who have the virus is being drawn up.

Health Minister David Ashford said that would be released but it is taking some time to compile and he could not give a time for when that would happen.