Coronavirus Covid 19: Auckland Fullers ferry staff test positive for Covid-19

An employee of the Fullers ferry tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, but the company maintains that the risk to customers is “extremely low.”

Fullers CEO Mike Horne sent an email to all staff Wednesday announcing that an employee had received a positive test result, but had not been on the job site for more than two weeks.

This was due to pre-planned annual leave, Horne wrote.

A Fullers spokesperson told the Herald that the staff member “was not in a customer service role” and “has not had any workplace contact with any of our teams during that time.”

The infected employee is understood to be a maintenance worker.

“As we continue to provide ongoing support to our team member and maintain confidentiality, we will not provide further details,” the spokesperson said.

“We have no information to suggest that another team member or passenger has tested positive for Covid-19, and we do not track Covid-19 related information from our customers.”

The Herald was unable to clarify whether Fullers staff operate in job bubbles to prevent the entire ferry fleet from being put out of service if workers had to isolate themselves on a large scale.

The Fullers spokesperson simply reiterated that they have “a robust Covid-19 Pandemic Response Plan in place and have prepared for various scenarios.”

However, the Fullers spokesman said they had to balance the risks of Covid-19 with keeping passengers on the Auckland ferry moving.

“We are well aware of the risks of Covid-19 and we balance those risks with our commitment to keep Auckland moving by providing a safe and reliable public transport and tourism service. This includes how we manage shift work and the roster. of our ships, “Fullers said.

“We have closely followed the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Occupational Safety and we are confident that the measures of our Pandemic Response Plan are robust and are being met.”

Auckland Maritime Union Secretary Russell Mayn said they were aware of the positive Covid-19 case but were comfortable that the risk to other Fullers workers was “extremely minimal,” as claimed.

Mayn said the union supported proactive Covid-19 testing for staff where appropriate, and understood that Fullers staff were working on bubbles under level 4 restrictions, but not now.

“With the state of [Auckland Harbour] bridge, you wouldn’t want the ferries to leave, would you? “Mayne said.

“But it does highlight how vulnerable our infrastructure is under these kinds of things if the bridge goes down.”

Fullers is an Auckland ferry company operating on the Hauraki Gulf and Waitemata Harbor.