Two Nantucket Steamship workers tested positive for coronavirus, the Nantucket Steamship Authority announced, and they may have had the infection on the job.
One of the two employees, who last worked at the terminal on Aug. 5, holds a position that involves coming in contact with other people. The authority said it is working closely with Nantucket health officials on contact tracing efforts to notify anyone who may have come in contact.
The risk of the other employee having spread the virus is low, according to the authority, because that person was not at work for more than a week prior to getting tested.
The company found out that the first employee had coronavirus on Aug. 7, the same day they found out about the second employee's exposure. Workers then disinfected the Nantucket terminal and the M/V Iyanough and M/V Eagle, two vessels that at least one of the employees had recently traveled on.
The steamship authority was notified that the second employee tested positive on Wednesday. The workers names and positions are being withheld to ensure that their private health information remains confidential, according to the company.
The authority said they take preventative steps to ensure public safety, including regularly cleaning common touch-points, tempered glass at ticket counters, mask requirements for all employees and social distance markers.
The steamship authority is encouraging their employees at the Nantucket terminal to go to the drive-through COVID-19 testing site at Nantucket Cottage Hospital to determine if any further testing is warranted. Employees have also been told not to come to work if they feel sick or were exposed to the virus.
“We hope both of our employees experience full and quick recoveries,” Nantucket Steamship Authority General Manager Robert B. Davis said in a statement.
