Martha's Vineyard SSA Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA—A Steamship Authority employee who works on the Martha's Vineyard route has tested positive for coronavirus.

According to a press release from Steamship Authority spokesman Sean Driscoll on Thursday, the employee who tested positive was assigned to the Martha's Vineyard route, which runs eight round-trip routes each day between 6 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. The employee last worked on a shift that began at 12 p.m. on November 8 and ended 11:30 a.m. on November 9.

"Following that shift, the employee was informed that a relative with whom there had been close contact had tested positive for COVID-19. The employee then was tested and received the positive results on Thursday," the release states. "The Authority is not disclosing the employee's name or position within the company to ensure their private health information remains confidential."

The positive case among steamship employees comes as coronavirus cases continue to increase throughout Massachusetts. However, as of Thursday, steamship routes are unaffected, contact tracing has begun, and the Steamship Authority said it will be taking extra precautions to keep riders and employees safe.

"Every night, Steamship Authority personnel use hospital-grade disinfectants on board all vessels, including the M/V Martha's Vineyard, to perform a cleaning of both public and employee areas," Driscoll wrote. "The cleaning is part of the precautionary measures taken daily by the Authority's terminal employees and vessel crews to thoroughly clean and disinfect all high-touch areas, including hand railings, table tops, door handles, seats, faucets, and toilets. In addition, crews are assigned nightly to perform cleaning and disinfectant measures onboard the vessels."