A third Steamship Authority employee in the past four days has tested positive for Covid-19, causing reverberations throughout the entire ferry service.
A third Steamship Authority employee in the past four days has tested positive for Covid-19, causing reverberations throughout the entire ferry service as it scrambles to test crew members en-masse, cancel dozens of trips and shut down reservations through the normally busy Labor Day weekend.
In a press release that went out Monday afternoon, the SSA announced that an employee who worked on the Nantucket route last Friday had tested positive for the virus. The individual last worked on the ferry Woods Hole, which was servicing Nantucket, on a shift that ended Friday, August 28 at 11:30 p.m.
The individual worked on the same shift as an employee who tested positive for the virus Saturday, according to the press release. The individual who tested positive Saturday had also worked on the freight ferry Governor earlier in the morning. The Governor only plies the Vineyard route.
Steamship Authority spokesman Sean Driscoll said in an interview with the Gazette Monday that both individuals were tested for the virus over the weekend. One received results Saturday evening; the other received results on Monday. Mr. Driscoll said neither employee worked after receiving their Covid test, although he said that the employee who tested positive on Saturday did work earlier Saturday morning, before getting tested.
A third boat line employee had previously tested positive for the virus on Friday. That employee last worked on a shift for the ferry Woods Hole that ended Wednesday, August 26 in Hyannis.
All three employees who tested positive were customer-facing staff who worked on the vessels, Mr. Driscoll said, but later clarified that the employees were unlikely to have prolonged contact with the public considering their roles on the ship.
"Their duties did not bring them into prolonged contact with the public," Mr. Driscoll said.
He also said despite the fact that two of the employees worked the same shift, the boat line did not know whether the cases were linked to one another.
“We have no idea how the transmission occurred,” Mr. Driscoll said.
Six customer-facing employees have now tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, according to Mr. Driscoll, including the three recent cases. Mr. Driscoll said the boat line disclosed the results of the tests because they work with passengers either at ticket offices or on the vessels, although their identity and position is being kept private to protect confidentiality.
The recent spate of cases among crew has forced the boat line to test approximately 30 additional employees for the virus. According to Mr. Driscoll, those employees were selected by the SSA for testing because they had worked on a shift with one or more of the three employees who have tested positive for the virus in the past week.
The employees underwent the testing at Cape Cod Hospital on Monday. According to the press release, results will take three to four days. Mr. Driscoll said the employees would not be working in the interim.
But the lack of manpower for at least three days has wreaked havoc on ferry schedules for the entire week, as it is forced to reshuffle vessels and temporarily shut down its reservation system to compensate for “reduced manning capabilities,” according to Mr. Driscoll.
The complicated vessel switches include shifting the Woods Hole, which was running on the Nantucket route, to the Vineyard route. The Governor will be taken off line and berthed in Woods Hole. And the freight ferry Sankaty, which was servicing the Vineyard route, will be switched to the Nantucket route.
Due to the vessel reshuffle, the SSA has cancelled all of its regularly scheduled trips for the Sankaty on the Vineyard route through Friday, as well as the last three regularly scheduled trips on the Governor.
The Sankaty generally runs three to four round trips between Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven daily, starting at 6:45 a.m. and finishing around 4 p.m. The last three trips the Governor would normally make are its 2:50 p.m., 5:20 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. trips that leave Woods Hole, and its 4:05 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. trips that leave Vineyard Haven.
The Woods Hole underwent a professional cleaning on Sunday morning, according to Mr. Driscoll. But he said it was the lack of staffing that was causing the trip cancellations; not the cleaning protocols.
“The boat cleaning is an hourlong process,” Mr. Driscoll said. “It has everything to do with a crewing issue.”
The SSA has also shut down reservations for Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Tuesday, Sept. 8 — a time period that includes Labor Day weekend. Reservations are currently available for Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, Sept. 1. But the reservation freeze signals that further changes could come to the boat line’s schedule, especially as it awaits the tests from its 30 contact-traced employees.
“Reservation activity remains on hold for trips from Sept. 2-8 as staff continue to assess the schedule and any changes that may need to be made,” the press release states.
Labor Day weekend normally sees a large exodus of summer travelers from the Vineyard, providing much-needed business for the ferry line before traffic ticks down in the fall season. The SSA is currently facing a projected $25 million operating deficit this year, and spent much of the spring and summer attempting to recoup losses caused by the pandemic.
Mr. Driscoll said while the boat line was focused on ensuring the health and safety of its passengers and crew, the timing of the cases and trip cancellations was rough for a ferry service that has already lost out on many of its busiest weekends of the year.
“There’s never a great time for an employee to get sick with a deadly disease, so that’s our first priority,” Mr. Driscoll said. “But that being said, the timing right now is particularly challenging.”
Comments
Why are not ALL SSA employees
Gar ChilmarkWhy are not ALL SSA employees tested?
I'm jumping into bed and
.Michael OBI'm jumping into bed and pulling the covers up until next May.
No notice given to
EY KatamaNo notice given to reservation holders for the cancellations as of yet- had to login to find out a Wednesday trip is canceled. On hold with the steamship authority for 1 hour and 24 minutes only to have an employee pick up and CLICK hang up on us.
I had the opposite experience
DER Oak BluffsI had the opposite experience. I got a personal phone call from someone at the SSA on Saturday night telling me my reservation for Monday had been rescheduled and why. When I got to WH Monday I even made it on an earlier boat. I was impressed with how smoothly it went. I can’t even imagine dealing with the logistics of this.
These are tough times for
Tom Engley West TisburyThese are tough times for everyone and especially difficult for front line workers. These brave men and women put themselves at risk every shift let’s rally behind the SSA without them we would be stranded.
I appreciate everyone working
JD OBI appreciate everyone working to keep the ferries running but find it hard to rally behind SSA workers if they aren’t taking their responsibility as ‘front line essential workers’ seriously...
From what I’ve seen personally, some are putting themselves and the rest of us at unnecessary risk by their lackadaisical approach to ppe use (noses out or no masks at all on the freight deck walking by cars from high risk states with open windows, loose and useless polyester face coverings in crowds of passengers etc). Now they seem to have the same ‘sorta/kinda,’ approach to employee testing.
We need better from our “lifeline”. More employee testing, more regularly, better behavior by employees in contact with customers, and minimized staff contact with the public and with each other should all be obvious steps to take to protect this vital service and the health of the passengers and crew.
Dear SSA guys/gals: Please get tested, and do everything possible to take care of yourselves and everyone else who has to travel on the ferries. Yes, wearing masks, washing hands, and taking other precautions sucks. Know what sucks more? Don’t do it and I’m afraid we will find out! The island is relying on you. Don’t let us down.
Time for the SSA to face the
Islander MVTime for the SSA to face the hard facts — SSA is not complying with state mandates on mask use and safety. Well-known and continually ignored by SSA management. This is endangering everyone — employees, customers, and the Island economy — and is no longer acceptable. Management needs to either comply with the law or step aside.
Fingers are always being
Charlie Callahan So Boston/EdgartownFingers are always being pointed at the hardworking SSA employees. They are exposed constantly to people coming here from who knows where ,who will say they haven't traveled abroad etc etc and anyone who believes them all is a fool.Also a lot of Vineyarders work in Boston and commute and are probably exposed thru no fault of their own. The truth is no one has a clue as to how to control this disease.
You control the disease with
Kathleen Bruce VtYou control the disease with hand washing, social distancing and wearing masks.. and making it a mandate for customers to wear masks. That is how.
Yes, we have more than a clue
Jensters MVIYes, we have more than a clue how to control the coronavirus. Along with the individual steps you can take with social distancing, face masks, and washing hands, we should be able to test everyone and contact trace for those we know are infected. Because not all SSA employees are being tested, when it's obvious they should be, the virus will have its way and we will be left guessing and worried. It was never true that testing is available for all, even though we know it should be.
Jensters, you are 100% right.
T Bone Oak BluffsJensters, you are 100% right. Some folks refuse to accept personal responsibility. We're all in this together, and are only as strong as the weakest link.
Pro- active as always !
Jim MenemshaPro- active as always !
I agree that the SSA
JP EdgartownI agree that the SSA employees have a difficult job, particularly now when there are STILL passengers who do not comply with rules. On a boat to VH over the weekend, for example, a woman was seated in the snack bar area (of course the snack bar is now closed), WITH a dog, which was sitting ON the table. Her mask was down around her neck. When reported to an SSA employee he immediately addressed the situation but I had to wonder if it was because of the dog on the table and not because she was not properly wearing a mask. While boarding that same vessel I saw two "customer facing" staff directing the loading and not wearing masks. One was shouting and whistling to other staff while walking within inches of boarding passenger cars with windows open, the other (who wore his mask part way some of the time) was on the freight deck directing parking. I wondered why these employees were setting such and obvious and bad example of non-compliance.
Three employees are out and
Carl Oak BluffsThree employees are out and they shuffle the whole schedule? Who knew they were this tightly staffed!
They are testing staff and
MarikaThey are testing staff and those waiting for results can't work.
SSA leadership continues to
AT ChappySSA leadership continues to fail both employees and the people that count on their service. Employees testing positive was not an "if" scenario, it was a "when." It is clear that they did not have adequate contingency plans in place. I hope all SSA employees stay healthy and that leadership puts some kind of testing system and better PPE equipment in place for them.
I think most of us have learned to be extra patient with others and companies because of all the uncertainty around the virus and the constantly changing state guidelines. However, the SSA continues its tradition of terrible communication with the public. To shut down reservations for essential island infrastructure with no communication to ticket holders is inexcusable. That it falls on a busy travel week and the week many are driving kids back to school highlights that. And the only reason the public knows what is happening is because of this reporting.
Just have the boats cleaned
Rob EdgartownJust have the boats cleaned and get it back to service.... Especially the freight boat - just have people stay in their cars!
Like so many others I value
David Edgartown & WorcesterLike so many others I value and appreciate the work done by the men and women of the SSA - particularly now. One suggestion however: have the staff working on the ferries walk around the ferry while in transit and remind / tell folks to put their masks on. My family was in Provincetown two weeks ago and there are uniformed ( vests marked ) people walking up and down the streets all day just reminding people to pull up their masks. They were courteous yet clear. As a result everyone on the busy streets wore masks which protects everyone else. On the ferry we get the speaker announcements but no one on staff walks around at all. For the most part staff congregate in the office area and talk. Could available staff be asked to walk around and remind travelers to put their masks on ? Seems easy enough and would further protect staff and patrons alike. A couple of overhead speaker announcements are not enough. Just a thought.
I don’t think shear panic is
Anne EdgartownI don’t think shear panic is the way to handle a small number of employees getting a positive test, which have been proven to be unreliable at best. Were they symptomatic?, in the ICU? Furthermore, the continued animosity to (non-islanders) is unreasonable and counterproductive both economically and socially. Should these tests be accurate they could have been exposed anywhere; family party, market, etc.
As our country is so litigious and politically correct, businesses and politicians will stop at nothing to cover their ass’s for fear of both no matter what the cost to us all.
It doesn't seem like panic to
KM OBIt doesn't seem like panic to me. Some employees are positive, they need to find out if any/how many more are positive. That's all. A SSA staff member with poor mask compliance could spread it to a passenger, who spreads it to grandma, who dies. Or the SSA member could spread it to their own grandma. Yes, they could have been exposed anywhere, but stopping the spread from now can only be a good thing.
So two guys get sick and the
Jim E ChappySo two guys get sick and the whole ferry system crashes and gets frozen for a week? Are they serious?
More than 20 more crew
New Englander ProvidenceMore than 20 more crew members are in isolation because of exposure to those who tested positive.
The sky is not falling.
JAH GosnoldThe sky is not falling.
The system has not crashed.
Fewer than 5 departures are affected.
Shut down the boats,
RW HShut down the boats, deliveries only.
Approx 24hrs a day and 365
Joe TisburyApprox 24hrs a day and 365 days a year, there are people on most of these boats. Why can't they just wake some of them up around 2am to clean?
I know many of them travel from out of state. But in these times can't they do just a bit more?
This does not surprise me. My
Wear a maskThis does not surprise me. My husband and I were very disappointed to see that SSA staff on our ferry a few weeks ago were not following or enforcing mask protocols. My husband complained to a SSA staff member that over half the boat’s passengers were not wearing their masks while outside of their vehicles and the staff member was also not wearing his mask. The boat was packed with people and distancing was nearly impossible.The staff member was polite and thanked my husband for the reminder and did give a reminder over the loud speaker (which passengers seemed to ignore).
When are test results going
Shawn Taylor Oak BluffsWhen are test results going to be available for the 30 or so tested on Monday?
Not clear from this whether
ELLENGB Great Barrington MANot clear from this whether travel to the Vineyard is being closed entirely During this upcoming weekend or if it is just the reservation system that is being shut down to halt further passengers beyond what is already reserved? What a terrible situation for the island. Best of luck from the other end of the state.
It’s just the reservation
GIt’s just the reservation system
I again, thank Sean Driscoll
Jill Manning MVI again, thank Sean Driscoll for his expertise as to what is going on with the SSA boats. We are living in tough times people cut, the SSA some slack I believe they are all doing their best.
The Number One priority on
Lorraine EdgartownThe Number One priority on any vessel on the high seas or waters is: Safety. Whatever affects the safe operation of the vessel is of utmost importance. Just because the vessels of the SSA are operating within fairly protected waters, does not mean that a scintilla of safety can be ignored. Passenger convenience is down the list. Any body who sails the seas will acknowledge that. We forget that to our peril. It is imperative that all who work on these vessels be well and take precautions.
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