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Nine positive Covid-19 cases linked to fishing boat that berthed at Scrabster


By Jean Gunn

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Scrabster harbour.
Scrabster harbour.

Nine positive Covid-19 cases – linked to a fishing vessel which berthed in Scrabster – have been confirmed in Orkney.

NHS Orkney said the three new cases since Friday are all crew members of the Aalskere, a Kirkwall-registered trawler, all of whom are now self-isolating.

Last week Scrabster Harbour Trust manager Sandy Mackie said there were "wild inaccuracies" in social media posts linking the port with the coronavirus outbreak in Orkney.

He stated that the fishing boat made "a controlled berthing in a restricted area at Scrabster" on Wednesday, August 12, and stressed that all established port protocols for dealing with Covid-19 and vessels had been followed.

The fishing boat – understood at the time to be on its way back to Orkney from Peterhead – was in the Caithness port for a total of 75 minutes.

The trust manager has confirmed that the new state-of-the-art whitefish trawler had been in Scrabster on two occasions during the same week, but was unable to make any further comment.

Marine records show that the vessel originally arrived at the local port on Sunday, August 9, leaving in the early hours of Monday morning, before returning under the controlled berthing two days later.

Mr Mackie stated that contact had been made with public health bodies and Highland Council.

"Where any vessel, prior to arriving at Scrabster, has alerted possible Covid-19 links these protocols have been followed," he said.

"This involves communication between the trust, vessel and health agencies to establish the information.

"Based on that information the trust has followed the guidance from the public health bodies on how to respond and taken the recommended actions for the protection of our staff, port users and the general public.

"No vessel would be allowed to berth without the correct procedure being fully followed."

He added: "We are aware of social media posts linking the harbour to the current Covid-19 outbreak in Orkney. There are wild inaccuracies in the information."

The crew have also been subjected to criticism on social media and had been accused of taking the virus from the mainland. They have been defended by fishing industry leaders and politicians.

Dr Tim Allison, NHS Highland’s director of public health, said: "NHS Highland is working closely with NHS Orkney in the context of the overall programme of Test and Protect in Scotland and we are addressing issues relating to local residents. We are aware that the fishing boat was at Scrabster and are confident that all the correct precautions were taken."

Gail Ross, the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said: "Having spoken to both Scrabster harbour and NHS Highland I am satisfied that all protocols have been followed and the Test and Protect system has been implemented.

"I would urge anyone that is contact-traced in relation to this to follow the specific advice they will be given in order to curb the spread of infection."

She added: "This is a stark reminder that this virus has not gone away. It is still highly infectious and, unfortunately, local outbreaks will occur.

"It is imperative that people follow the guidelines, including hand-washing, physical distancing, wearing masks where appropriate and getting tested if symptoms appear."

Jamie Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: "This simply goes to show that total vigilance is as necessary now as it was a few months ago. We cannot drop our guard until we are absolutely sure the virus is beaten, which may be many months yet."


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