Essential freight safe after positive tests
THE Commodore Goodwill was held up in Guernsey yesterday after three staff on-board tested positive for Covid-19 and another was suspected of having the infection.
The four European workers all live on the ferry, and wereput into self-isolation in their cabins immediately.
They are all described as having mild cold-like symptoms, and are said to be well.
From tomorrow the entire ship’s crew is being rotated as an additional precaution.
The ferry company has stressed that it has a sterile working environment for freight so there is no risk of transmission into Guernsey via freight.
The full team on the Goodwill is made up of 21 staff members and they operate within a bubble and while working they have no contact with anyone land-side at Guernsey, Jersey, Portsmouth and St Malo ports.
Trailers being shipped all arrive and leave the boat completely sealed so that freight cannot become a vector of the virus.
This system has been in place since March and it is the first time that routine testing of Condor staff has revealed positive cases.
A Condor spokesman said that procedures were drawn up months ago in case staff tested positive, and the men will now stay in their cabins and have food delivered to them on trays.
The boat left St Peter Port at 3.40pm yesterday and went back to Portsmouth.
The incident has caused quite a bit of rescheduling of the timetable, and due to the growing Covid-19 crisis in the UK both the Commodore Goodwill and the Commodore Clipper will now be freight only.
These changes have been made to ensure that the lifeline service, which brings in tfood and other essential supplies, is maintained.
It was stressed by the company that there was no risk that the supply chain could become broken.
Condor has recently strengthened its protection of the public by requiring all passengers into Guernsey to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departure.
The move came as a more contagious variant of Covid-19 gained a greater foothold across England.
Paul Luxon, the chief executive officer of Condor, said it wanted to ensure safe and responsible travel.
‘We take our obligations very seriously, so in line with our new policy that passengers now require evidence of a negative result within 72 hours of departure, we have heightened our safety protocols.
‘These changes have been endorsed by public health authorities and we can provide reassurance that the lifeline service into the islands will be maintained.’
Any passengers currently booked on the Clipper will be switched to high speed alternatives from Poole and St Malo.
They are being notified and the ferry company apologised for the frustration that some travellers may feel in light of the changes.
