As the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital prepares for a potential influx of coronavirus cases, staff have been training tirelessly with infectious disease expert Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner .

Wednesday was a historically grim day on Martha’s Vineyard. Just after noon, an ominous stay-at-home order chimed on cell phones all over the Island. Still, there were flickers of hope. The Art Cliff diner was one of them.

Automobile and passenger traffic on Steamship Authority ferries plunged into steep decline this month, just as the coronavirus pandemic began its spread into Massachusetts.

Social distancing is becoming routine on Martha’s Vineyard as social service agencies adjust to the coronavirus pandemic Food service agencies are readjusting.

The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital confirmed Wednesday that it had admitted its first patient for treatment from Covid-19, as cases of the coronavirus statewide rocketed upward.

The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital confirmed Wednesday that it had admitted its first patient for treatment from Covid-19, one day after Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, Tisbury and West Tisbury adopted a sweeping stay-at-home emergency order.

As the coronavirus pandemic intensifies, Island agencies and nonprofits are finding new ways to reach the people they serve — without coming anywhere near them.

The Steamship Authority on Sunday released statistics showing a modest increase in out-of-state vehicles coming to the Vineyard in the first half of March, as Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker urged residents with second homes on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard to stay home.

Six regularly scheduled ferry runs have been cut effective Sunday, as traffic to the Island begins to decline. Other transit agencies are taking steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

MVTV has started broacasting local Covid-19 informational updates that include interviews with local officials.

This week, schools around the country shut their doors leaving parents and children scrambling for routines and learning how to home school on the fly.

With an Islandwide shutdown beginning to weigh on the Vineyard’s most vulnerable residents, volunteers are needed during the coronavirus emergency.

Government institutions on the Vineyard took unprecedented steps this week to close town halls, cancel in-person meetings, and activate emergency operation plans.

The Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard has launched an emergency response fund for Island nonprofits.

A new program called Care for Community will work as a matchmaker between food organizations and volunteers. All Island nonprofits are eligible to participate.

Leaders at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital said Wednesday morning they expect to see the first positive case of Covid-19 on the Island within a matter of days.

Island athletic coaches have sent out emails urging their players to practice social isolation and not get together for informal training sessions.

My mantra has been no talking about Covid-19 with our clients. So the staff meetings were brimming with only that.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has confirmed Barnstable County’s first case of Covid-19.

Due to the threat of the coronavirus, all Vineyard schools will close for two weeks, beginning Monday.