A sharp rise in the daily increase of confirmed cases of Covid-19 means that the rate of infection is no longer consistent with the area's Tier 1 status. NHS Borders has warned that the increase in confirmed cases is "far larger" than the numbers associated with the recent outbreak at Borders General Hospital. As a result, health officials have taken the decision to cancel all routine planned operations until the end of the year - in a bid to reduce the pressure on NHS services. Chief Executive of NHS Borders, Ralph Roberts said: “The increase in confirmed cases we are seeing is far larger than the numbers associated with the recent outbreak at the BGH. We are starting to see an impact on the delivery of NHS services and have had to take the very difficult decision to cancel all routine planned operations until the end of this year. Urgent and cancer procedures will still go ahead."