NCDOT cuts ferry runs to and from Ocracoke after crew members contract coronavirus
The state has had to reduce the number of Pamlico Sound ferry trips to and from Ocracoke Island after six employees contracted the coronavirus and another 11 are home quarantined as a result.
Two members of the crew of the M/V Swan Quarter and four workers on shore tested positive for coronavirus, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. They last worked on the route between Cedar Island and Ocracoke on Monday and are recovering at home, under quarantine, for at least 14 days.
The other 11 employees have not tested positive but are also under quarantine as a precaution.
To adjust for the missing workers, NCDOT has reduced the number of round-trip runs between Ocracoke and Cedar Island and Ocracoke and Swan Quarter from three each day to two from Dec. 22 through Dec. 28. This is the new schedule:
▪ Ocracoke to Cedar Island, 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
▪ Cedar Island to Ocracoke, 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
▪ Ocracoke to Swan Quarter, 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
▪ Swan Quarter to Ocracoke, 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
There’s no change in the schedule of ferries between Ocracoke and Hatteras islands.
NCDOT says that since the crew members tested positive, the M/V Swan Quarter and the terminals at Cedar Island, Ocracoke and Swan Quarter have been cleaned and sanitized. The department encourages passengers who think they may have been exposed to the virus while on the ferry or in a terminal to contact their local health department.
State ferry crew members are required to wear face coverings while on board, and passengers must practice social distancing and wear masks if they leave their cars to go on deck or to the indoor lounge.
