NORTH SYDNEY, N.S. — A second Marine Atlantic employee is isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19.
Marine Atlantic was notified of the case by Newfoundland and Labrador public health officials on Thursday. Two days earlier, Nova Scotia public health officials informed the Crown corporation of the first employee who tested positive for the disease.
Both employees worked the same 15-day shift on the MV Blue Puttees, which ended last weekend.
"Since April 1, we've transported over 127,000 passengers and this is the first instance where we've been made aware of a positive COVID-19 case," said Marine Atlantic spokesperson Darrell Mercer.
Public health officials in both provinces are working on contact tracing and investigating the cases. Mercer said Marine Atlantic is assisting them however they can.
Marine Atlantic works on a two-shift schedule and Mercer said employees on the incoming shift as well as the shift that just finished have been tested for the virus — 125 in total.
The Blue Puttees is docked in North Sydney with 65 employees isolating onboard until they receive the results from their COVID-19 tests.
The MV Atlantic Vision has been added to the ferry schedule for service in between North Sydney and Newfoundland for the time being.
"We will be making decisions on vessel schedule in coming days based on the test results," Mercer said.
Nova Scotia Health Authority has issued exposure alerts for a number of crossings between Dec. 29 and Jan. 16. Any Nova Scotians aboard those runs are asked to arrange for COVID-19 testing, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
CASES TO DATE
Thursday, Nova Scotia reported two new cases of COVID-19 in the northern zone. One is related to travel outside of the Atlantic provinces and is self-isolating as required.
The other is related to École acadienne de Truro, a pre-primary to Grade 12 school.
The person was home self-isolating and not at school Thursday. The school is closed for deep cleaning and is expected to reopen Jan. 27. Students will learn remotely until then and parents will be updated on the school opening on Jan. 26.
Nicole Sullivan is an education, enterprise and diversity reporter for the Cape Breton Post.
