Two cases of COVID-19 are now linked to Marine Atlantic’s Blue Puttees—but public health officials say the risk to passengers is low.

However, the Department of Health and Community Services is asking all passengers on board the vessel any time between Tuesday, December 29, and Saturday, January 16, to arrange for COVID testing “out of an abundance of caution.”

Marine Atlantic confirms that the latest case—a man in his 60s in the Central Health region—is a crew member who worked on the same shift as the previous case reported by public health officials in Nova Scotia earlier this week.

The man is isolating and contact tracing is underway. He was the only new case reported in the province yesterday.

There are six active cases of COVID-19 in the province, including one person in hospital.

Marine Atlantic’s Darrell Mercer says the Blue Puttees remains out of service until they get a better handle on the situation.

The other 65 crew members have been tested, the results of which are not yet back.

The Atlantic Vision is on the Gulf run until those test results are back and they make decisions based on those results.

Mercer admits there is a level of anxiety among staff awaiting results.

He says they’ve done “very, very well” in avoiding any cases until now, but like all frontline and essential workers, the risk is still there.