ISLANDERS have expressed their fears about the strain on health services after five positive cases of Covid-19 were reported on board cruise ships visiting Orkney.

Four were confirmed on the Marella Explorer 2 anchored in Kirkwall Bay on Monday and one on Celebrity Silhouette, which was alongside at Hatston Pier. In one case an elderly man was taken to Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall suffering from Covid symptoms.

The hospital has limited intensive care facilities and seriously ill patients have to be sent by helicopter or air ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. However, local residents were angry at the possible risks after almost two dozen cruise chips visited the islands since Covid restrictions were lifted.

They took to social media to voice their anger, with Fiona MacInnes writing on Facebook: “Dangerous, greedy and reckless to allow Covid infected cruise ships into Orkney. There are no facilities to intubate covid patients at the Balfour Hospital.

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“Any deteriorating Covid patients will be flown to ARI, further delaying emergency treatments for patients already in long waiting queues here.

“Check your greed-o-meter apologists.”

Much of the online anger was directed at Orkney Islands Council (OIC), who run the harbours and who it is claimed have not given voters or residents any choice over whether or not they want cruise tourism at such a volume or potential health danger. Graham Macdonald wrote: “You don’t see the big picture, without the cruise ship revenues, how can the harbours dept get the revenue to expand the harbours to allow more cruise ships?”

Fiona Grahame, who edits The Orkney News, told The National: “In total there have been eight deaths registered in Orkney since the start of the pandemic – four of those have been this September. And we have an extremely high rate of vaccination.”

The Marella 2 Explorer was now on its way to Newcastle, said Grahame, and was due to arrive today, while the Celebrity Silhouette was at Invergordon.

In the last seven days there have been 27 reported cases in Orkney. In a lengthy statement, OIC confirmed the on-board cases, and said that four women who tested positive, had “mild to no symptoms” and were being isolated on board in designated cabins. “All known close contacts were also isolated on board the vessels and enhanced sanitisation procedures were in place,” they said.

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OIC head of marine services, transportation and harbour master, Jim Buck said: “We have played host to 23 ships since the resumption of the cruise industry in July, including many thousands of passengers and crew, and there have only been a handful of confirmed cases during this time.

“These isolated incidents have been contained very quickly without further spread, so the procedures in place by both the vessels and the port side have worked well.”

He added: “Cruise travellers are subject to much tighter regulations than most others – the list is fairly extensive.Yes, there have been a very small number of positive cases, but these have been contained extremely quickly and have not led to further spread.”