On Saturday evening the Isle of Wight council (IWC) announced the first confirmed case of Covid-19 on the Isle of Wight.
The council’s press release revealed that the patient, who is now being treated appropriately and in isolation, had recently returned from abroad.
Which ferry did they travel on?
Many readers raised concerns about the mode of transport the patient had taken to return home – unless it was by private boat or helicopter, the person would have used one of the six public ferry crossings.
OnTheWight asked the cross-Solent travel companies what date and time the patient had travelled with them, and whether the vessel in question had been deep-cleaned since then. Their responds are below:
Red Funnel: “Cannot confirm if they have recently travelled”
Red Funnel said,
“We do not know the identity of the individual in question and cannot confirm if they have recently travelled with Red Funnel.”
Wightlink: “Do not know if this individual travelled on our routes”
Wightlink said,
“Wightlink is aware that a person on the Isle of Wight has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. We do not know if this individual has travelled on one of our routes recently.
“Wightlink has already taken measures to encourage customers to wash their hands frequently and have installed more hand sanitisers on our ships and at our ports. We are liaising closely with the NHS, Public Health England and the other relevant authorities and will follow any additional guidance they may issue following the release of this information.”
Hovertravel: “We have been given no further information“
Hovertravel said,
“Hovertravel has seen the statement from the IOW Council and continues to monitor the coronavirus situation for the safety of staff and customers through our internal operational procedures. We have been given no further information.
“Hovertravel is ready to adhere to any instructions, procedures or required changes that may be issued in relation to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from our governing bodies. We are in regular communication with our Local Resilience Forum for the Isle of Wight, as well as other regulatory authorities and we have created a page on our Website for our customers.”
Council refuse to answer questions
OnTheWight also asked some very general questions about the patient, chosen deliberately not to identify them, but about which country they were returning from and how they got back to the Island, asking,
- Which country did the person travel from?
- What mode of transport did they take to return to the Island?
- What ferry date and time?
- What general part of the Island do they live in?
The Isle of Wight council replied,
“Following national guidance and in line with patient confidentiality requirements no more information can currently be released concerning:
- The identity of the individual
[OTW did not ask for that] - The current location of the individual
[OTW did not ask for that] - The treatment of the individual
[OTW did not ask for that] - Previous contacts or activities of the individual
[OTW asked only which ferry they’d travelled on]
“Public Health England is contacting people who had close contact with the person, and anybody who has not been contacted by Public Health England about this case does not need to take any action.”
Of course, it is possible that the person didn’t use a ferry/hover, but in that unlikely case, why not say so to give assurance?
Image: bortescristian under CC BY 2.0
