Ferry services to Tory Island have been cut back to a minimal level as the islanders try to isolate themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic.
With no doctor on the island, the potential impact of coronavirus reaching the Tory population has raised much local concern.
Ferry services will be cut from 21 trips to 6 per week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday only as islanders try to limit the number of people travelling to and from the mainland.
Marjorie Uí Chearbhaill Comharchumann Thoraí Teo said this is an extremely difficult and worrying time for everyone.
“We have to do all we can to try and stop this coming to the island. We put up a post discouraging visitors from coming since 13th March and that has worked well,” Uí Chearbhaill told Donegal Daily.
“It is a very worrying time for people on the island, if it should come to the island there is a lot of older people and people with underlying health conditions. We are sort of isolated out here as well. We don’t have a doctor. We have a full-time nurse and they have been trained to carry out tests.
“But should anything happen to anyone you’re just hoping they will come for you.”
Islanders are following social distancing guidelines and home delivery services have been launched to provide for people in isolation.
While visitor numbers are down, people returning home from abroad are also a concern on Tory.
“You have people coming home that have lost their jobs, it’s difficult to keep them away but they have been very good in isolating for two weeks,” Uí Chearbhaill said.
The new Ferry timetable begins on Friday 27th March: with departures from Magheroarty 08.30 – Tory 09.30 and Magheroarty 15.30 – Tory 16.30.
This situation will be monitored regularly and may be reduced further if the situation worsens, according to Comharchumann Thoraí Teo.
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