STAY at home messages appear to be working after a ferry operator recorded a 99.2% drop in people using its services on Easter Sunday.

Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) had just 163 people travelling on Easter Sunday this year as the coronavirus outbreak continues to impact daily life.

This is compared to 21,570 travellers on the same day last year.

Over the four-day period from Friday to Monday, just 1,837 people made a ferry journey on one of the operator's 28 routes compared to around 112,000 for the same period in 2019.

There were no vehicles were stopped from boarding CalMac vessels over the weekend.

It comes after the publicly-owned ferry operator said last week that it had to turn away 66 non-essential travellers in the previous two weeks.

READ MORE: Poverty, lockdown, or missed Covid deaths - what is behind Scotland's mystery surge in deaths? 

New rules were introduced in March by the ferry company to stop day trippers and holiday makers getting to the islands in a bid to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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Many holiday plans have been cancelled or postponed, with social restrictions in place to ensure only essential journeys are being made.

CalMac's director of operations Robert Morrison said: "There had been concerns that the good weather over the holiday weekend would encourage people to try to access the islands.

"But thankfully the guidance not to travel unless absolutely necessary seems to have been accepted."

He added: "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."

The 66 people prevented from boarding CalMac ferries over the two weeks was across the operator’s whole network.

Essential travel includes emergency services, NHS and utilities workers, teachers and food retail workers.

Argyll and Bute Council run ferries to Easdale, Luing and Lismore are now asking people to show proof of address or ID before they board.

Residents have to show a bill, letter or driving licence with their address and essential workers also have to show a letter of support and their ID badge.

Anyone without a legitimate reason is not being allowed to cross.

Last week it was revealed that passenger numbers on CalMac ferries had dropped by 95 per cent following the introduction of new rules on essential ferry travel.

The West Coast ferry operator introduced an essential lifeline timetable two weeks ago aimed at keeping essential goods, services and people going to and from the islands.

It comes as rail passenger levels across ScotRail was estimated to have fallen by 75 per cent at the start of the month.

Unions have called on transport secretary Michael Matheson to send all non-essential transport workers home to fight the spread of coronavirus.

Unite Scotland and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said employees not vital to keeping transport networks open stood down to help protect them from the Covid-19 outbreak.

Unite - Scotland’s biggest union said at the beginning of the month that construction and maintenance work should stop immediately to reduce their risk.

It said workers at Scotland TranServ, which maintain motorways and major roads in and around Glasgow, were told it was “business as usual”.

Scotland TranServ, part owned by Balfour Beatty, works across south west Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency.

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