All scheduled routine operations have been suspended at a hospital dealing with an outbreak of coronavirus.
A total of 22 people have tested positive for Covid-19 at Borders General Hospital, officials have confirmed.
NHS Borders revealed that "pressure on the system" led to routine surgeries being "pauses" this week - a decision which will be reviewed again next week.
However, all outpatient appointments, cancer treatment and urgent operations are still to go ahead as planned.
Meanwhile, patients infected with the virus are being treated on NHS Borders' dedicated Covid wards.
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In addition, a "small number" of patients at Hay Lodge hospital have also tested possible, leading to the suspension of visiting and new admissions.
A spokesperson said: "Our teams are working hard to care for patients in the BGH however due to the number of people being treated in our COVID wards we are experiencing pressure on the system.
"Ensuring the safety of our patients and staff is our priority and the decision has been taken to pause all scheduled routine operations for the rest of the week. Patients who are affected will be contacted direct. Next week’s activity will be reviewed at the end of this week."
Associate Director of Acute Services, Gareth Clinkscale said: “A senior multidisciplinary team is continuing to oversee the management of the outbreak and the situation in the BGH and Hay Lodge is being reviewed and monitored very closely. There are robust Infection Prevention and Control measures in place across NHS Borders to keep our staff and patients as safe as possible.
“Cancelling elective operations is not a decision that we have taken lightly and I would like to apologise for any distress and disappointment this has inevitably caused. The safety of our patients and staff is incredibly important and it was necessary to make these difficult decisions to ensure this.
“Visiting to the Borders General Hospital remains limited to essential visits only. This decision will also be reviewed again next week and we thank you for your understanding.
“Visiting to other Community Hospitals remains unchanged with local restrictions in place at Hay Lodge Hospital.”
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