Quiet Easter for CalMac shows public sticking to guidelines

The 'stay at home' message would appear to be working if trips to Scotland's west coast islands are a reflection of wider travel patterns.

Ferry operator CalMac had just 163 people travelling on Easter Sunday compared to 21,570 last year -  a 99.2% drop in numbers.  

'There had been concerns that the good weather over the holiday weekend would encourage people to try and access the islands but thankfully the guidance not to travel unless absolutely necessary seems to have been accepted,' said CalMac's Director of Operations, Robert Morrison.  

Over the four-day period from Friday to Monday, just 1837 people made a ferry journey on one of CalMac's 28 routes compared to 112,000 for the same period in 2019.  

'Reports from ports over the weekend showed that that no vehicles were stopped from boarding. This combined with the extremely low passenger number tells us people are listening to government guidelines to stay at home.  

'We are only carrying lifeline supplies and essential workers needed to keep island economies running and communities safe,' added Robert.