The Steamship Authority reported Wednesday night that two employees at its Nantucket terminal have tested positive for Covid-19. To ensure their private health information remains confidential, the boat line identified them only as Employee A and Employee B.

Employee A had not been to work for more than a week prior to being tested, making potential risk of exposure to others at the terminal extremely low, according to the SSA announcement.

Employee B last worked at the terminal on August 5 and was in a position to come into contact with the public. 

"The Authority is working closely with public health officials on Nantucket to guide its efforts to share information and public health recommendations with passengers and Steamship employees who may have come into contact with Employee B," continued the announcement, noting further that precautionary measures long in effect at the terminal include tempered glass installed at the ticket counters, the use of cloth face coverings by all employees and social distance markers set up in the passenger waiting and boarding areas to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

Employee A notified the SSA of their positive test result on August 7, the same day Employee B made the boat line aware of their potential exposure. "At that time, Authority staff used an electrostatic sprayer that dispenses hospital-grade disinfectants to clean not only the Nantucket terminal but the M/V Iyanough and M/V Eagle, both vessels on which at least one of the employees had recently traveled," the SSA reported.

Employee B received their positive test result August 12, the report continued. "The Steamship Authority is working with its employees at the Nantucket terminal to utilize the drive-through COVID-19 evaluation site at Nantucket Cottage Hospital to determine if any further testing is warranted."

In a statement, SSA general manager Robert Davis thanked both employees for following the boat line's Covid-19 reporting protocol and wished them full and quick recoveries.