Residents requiring to see their GPs will be attended to either over the phone or online for the foreseeable future.

Health and Social Care Minister David Ashford said that from tomorrow, all non-emergency appointments will cease due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patients are not to attend their GP unless instructed by a health worker.

Mr Ashford said: ’The GPs will be moving to video conferencing and telephone appointments and telephone consultations rather than having face to face appointments in the surgery.

’GPs will also be ending all non-essential treatments, so things such as travel vaccines, insurance reports, ear syringing and private medicals will be ceasing for the time being so they can concentrate on the front line response.’

Mr Ashford urged any patients who need to see their GP, to contact their surgery and not attend the island’s GP practiced unless they are advised to do.

He added that the Covid-19 111 helpline took more than 100 calls on Saturday, and has now taken more than 1,000 in total.

For all other, non-medical, queries, residents are now being asked to ring 686262 which is open and manned from 9am-6pm, 7 days a week.