Ferry Trips Canceled After Crew Member Tests Positive For Virus

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA—The Steamship Authority cancelled two Martha's Vineyard ferry trips on Friday after a crew member tested positive for COVID-19.

The 12 p.m. departure from Woods Hole and 1:15 p.m. departure from Vineyard Haven were cancelled, according to an SSA press release. A substitute crew was assigned to the vessel following the two cancelled trips, allowing it to adhere to its usual schedule for the rest of the day.

The employee who tested positive last worked a shift that began with a 12 p.m. trip on Saturday, November 28 and ended with the vessel's 11:30 a.m. arrival in Woods Hole on Sunday, November 29, according to the SSA.

"The employee subsequently developed symptoms of COVID-19 and was tested; the employee received the results Friday morning and immediately notified the Authority," said a later SSA press release. "As the employee was a member of the crew that was due to take its watch with the noon departure of the MV Martha’s Vineyard from Woods Hole, that crew was instructed not to report for duty on the vessel.”

The name of the crew member who tested positive has not been released for privacy reasons and the other crew members will be tested for COVID-19 prior to returning to work, said the Authority.

Due to the position of the employee who tested positive, the SSA said it is very unlikely that any member of the public was exposed to the virus.