By Isle of Wight Observer
Wightlink will be operating more sailings at weekends on both its Portsmouth-Fishbourne and Lymington-Yarmouth routes from Friday 24 July 2020.
This is in response to increased vehicle bookings since the relaxation of Government restrictions on travel during the Coronavirus pandemic.
There will be another four round-trips at peak times on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield says: “I am delighted to announce we are responding to increased demand by scheduling more services at weekends. The extra sailings will be good news for the Isle of Wight’s tourism business and offer more opportunities for Islanders and mainlanders to cross the Solent.
“We are ready to welcome more customers. We have reduced passenger capacity on all our ships so there is plenty of room in our lounges for everyone to find a place to sit, while keeping a social distance from other people.
“Ships are cleaned frequently and to high standard and hand sanitisers are available. Signage on board ferries and at ports will help customers to make their way around safely.”
There will be a takeaway café selling hot and cold drinks and refreshments on most sailings.
Wightlink has been awarded the ‘We’re Good to Go’ mark by VisitBritain. It shows the company complies with all Government and public health guidance and has carried out the necessary risk assessments.
Although foot passenger numbers are still very low, Wightlink is constantly reviewing the situation with a view to resuming its FastCat service between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head as soon as demand increases. There will be further announcements in the near future.
