All of Saturday’s sporting events have been called off in the wake of possible community spread of coronavirus.

In a statement released earlier, the Isle of Man Government said: ‘Nine new cases of Covid-19 have been detected in the Isle of Man.

‘Six of the cases relate to the recently identified cluster and all six individuals were already in self-isolation. One of the cases is an individual already self-isolating following travel to the island.

‘The remaining two cases cannot as yet be explained, indicating there may be a low level of community spread of the virus.

‘All individuals will continue to self-isolate with their households and further tests will be offered.

‘The Council of Ministers has met to discuss the situation and taken advice from officers and public health. Contact tracing has been underway overnight and is continuing which may in time help to give a clearer picture of the situation.

‘Whilst the situation continues to unfold, the Council of Ministers, supported by Public Health have decided that as a precautionary measure, the public should be advised to take precautions including avoiding household mixing, staying home where possible, and not to visit a Health and Care setting unless absolutely necessary.’

As a result, the governing bodies of football, rugby and hockey have all made the quick decision to call off fixtures on Saturday afternoon.

Manx Hockey Association commented on Facebook: ‘Urgent: given the news of community cases all hockey is stopped with immediate effect. Please stop any games in play now. Please observe social distancing and go home. More as we know it.’

Likewise, the Isle of Man Football Association stated: ‘Following the recent Isle of Man Government announcement regarding recent Covid-19 cases, all football this afternoon has been postponed.

‘We are attempting to contact all clubs and officials ahead of the 2pm kickoff.’Manx Rugby’s executive committee also confirmed that all of the day’s games had been called off.There will be a government press briefing this afternoon (Saturday) at 3pm - follow on the @iomsnewspapers Facebook page.