Six positive cases of coronavirus have now been identified in the cluster linked to an Orkney fishing vessel.

A new case was confirmed on Friday afternoon, with the incident management team meeting to discuss progress with contact tracing across NHS Highland, NHS Grampian and NHS Orkney.

It was revealed on Thursday that a fishing boat from Peterhead was the subject of an outbreak of the virus in Orkney, with the local health chief saying he was concerned that the virus was spreading quickly across the island community.

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NHS Orkney chief executive Michael Dickson said on Thursday a number of people had developed symptoms and then travelled to their homes across Orkney and to mainland Scotland.

A cluster of five positive cases was identified on Thursday, with a further one being confirmed on Friday.

NHS Orkney Director of Public Health Louise Wilson said: “We ask the Orkney community to continue following the physical distancing guidelines. 

READ MORE: Orkney: Five positive cases as coronavirus spreads ‘rapidly’

"Anyone who develops symptoms should self-isolate and contact NHS Orkney for a test.

“This is no time to be complacent but we can prevent the risk of the virus spreading further if we all follow the FACTS guidance.”