This afternoon the Scottish Government announced further drastic measures to help limit the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a statement, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said that with immediate effect, ferry companies such as Caledonian MacBrayne will be restricting all travel to the islands. Ferry companies will now be limiting travel only to residents or essential travel for business or supplies.

It follows numerous calls for action after reports from rural communities in the highlands and islands of people with second homes or those with campervans and caravans travelling to the area in recent days.

It’s unknown as of yet how this will affect the Raasay ferry service. Calmac has warned of disruption in the coming weeks as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The Calmac website will be updated as and when routes are delayed.