The Steamship Authority announced another slate of complicated schedule updates to its Vineyard route Wednesday after three employees tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, adding back trips that were previously cancelled and reopening its reservation system for Labor Day weekend.

Test results on approximately 30 contact-traced employees are still pending, according to SSA spokesman Sean Driscoll. The employees were tested at Cape Cod Hospital on Monday and worked on a shift with at least one of the employees who had previously tested positive for the virus.

Results are expected three to four days from the date of testing, Mr. Driscoll said.

Earlier this week, the boat line had shuffled ferries between its Vineyard and Nantucket routes after learning it would be without nearly 30 staff members because of the three positive coronavirus cases among crew members. The shuffle forced the SSA to cancel the freight ferry Sankaty’s seven round trips between the Island and Woods Hole, and eliminate three afternoon round trips for the freight ferry Governor after it was taken out of service.

On top of that, the advance reservation system for vehicles was closed for Labor Day weekend, as boat line managers remained unsure of how the positive test cases, and employees waiting on results could affect its future scheduling.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the SSA announced that it would be returning the freight ferry Gay Head to the Vineyard route, which would run three of the Sankaty’s normal trips that leave Woods Hole at 6:45 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The SSA further announced that the Governor would return to service, running four round trips per day beginning at 5:30 a.m. and continuing until 12:20 p.m.

The schedule changes are in place for Thursday, Sept. 3 through Tuesday, Sept. 8, encompassing Labor Day weekend.

A complete list of the altered Labor Day weekend schedule appears as a PDF at the bottom of this story.

In a previous interview with the Gazette, Mr. Driscoll said the schedule changes were due to reduced manning capabilities on the vessels, with the 30 employees who received Covid-19 tests not working as they awaited results.

Mr. Driscoll said on Wednesday that he was not sure whether the new schedule additions were due to some of employees receiving negative tests and being cleared to work, or from other staffing adjustments. He said the SSA did have more employees set to work for the weekend.

“We do have more employees back working,” Mr. Driscoll said. “But I don’t know if it’s from that group Monday, or other factors.”

The SSA has also reopened its reservation system for the weekend, confident that it will be able to provide the service as scheduled through Tuesday regardless of the employee test results.

Labor Day weekend is traditionally a busy holiday for the ferry line, marking the end of summer as an exodus of travelers makes reservations to leave the Island for the season.

Mr. Driscoll said it had been a hectic past few days.

“I have stopped predicting what will happen,” he said “We feel secure based on what we know now that this is what we will run through the weekend.”