TWO residents have died at a coronavirus-hit care home in Skye which has 57 confirmed cases.

A total of 30 residents at Home Farm in Portree were yesterday confirmed to have contracted Covid-19, including one who later died.

A total of 27 members of staff have also tested positive.

It comes after Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said there is enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers and residents at the premises.

A spokeswoman for the home said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families who has lost a loved one from coronavirus and we are doing our utmost to support them during this difficult time.

“We have a comprehensive coronavirus contingency plan in place, which was created by our clinical director and reflects the latest government guidance.

“We are working closely with our local health and care partners, and we have secured the medical equipment, PPE and supplies we need to protect residents and colleagues alike.

“Whilst a number of colleagues are away unwell or self-isolating, we have had the team members required to safely care for all residents with additional support being drawn from our other Scottish homes and the senior regional team.”

A decision has been made to deploy a military mobile testing unit to the remote community.

Forbes, who is also the MSP for the island, said she had been told there was enough PPE in the home to protect staff and residents.

Since the outset of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK, concerns have been raised over the supply of masks, gowns and other protective equipment for health and social care staff.

On BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland, Forbes said: “It was one of my first questions and I was informed resolutely that, yes, there was sufficient PPE there.”

Forbes also said contact tracing could be used on the island, due to its rural nature, to track the spread of the virus through residents.

“Skye, as a self-contained island community, shows the advantages of contact tracing and I think that contact tracing is going to be an important part of our capability on Skye in dealing with the outbreak,” she said.

“That will form a vital part of NHS Highland’s response, as you can see from that increased testing capacity and the way that they have already started to make contact, not just with those who have tested, but with their households as well.”

Some members of staff, the Finance Secretary said, will have part-time jobs in the community as well as their work at the care home, making contact tracing an “important” way of containing the virus.