COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, April 2

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison has been named Summerside's 'good neighbour' of the year for her handling of the pandemic.

Minor hockey players on P.E.I. might just be the only ones in Canada lacing up their skates for provincials and playoffs this season.

It's Good Friday and Easter celebrations on P.E.I. will be limited by the pandemic, but church leaders say it will be a step up from 2020 when they were mostly cancelled altogether.

The province says testing sites and clinics will be operating on reduced hours over the Easter weekend. 

Prince Edward Island has now recorded 160 cases of COVID-19 since its first case in March 2020. The latest case, announced Thursday, is a person under 19 who was a close contact of a previous case and has been isolating since learning that. 

In her weekly check-in with CBC News: Compass, Morrison said the province has had no confirmation on the delivery of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, expected to arrive in Canada at the end of April. 

Builders and suppliers in P.E.I.'s construction industry are working with some alternative materials as costs and availability continue to be a concern in the busy sector.

It looks like 2021 will be another difficult year for anyone looking for a new bicycle, as more people spend time outside during the pandemic.

The Island has had 160 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, with no deaths or hospitalizations. There are 13 active cases on the Island. 

Throughout the Atlantic region:

• Nova Scotia reported nine new cases on Friday for a total of 31 active cases in the province. 

• New Brunswick also reported nine new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 147 active cases.

• Newfoundland and Labrador reported one new travel-related case on Thursday and has four active cases. 

Also in the news

• Organizers of Rock the Boat Music Festival are confident they can work with COVID-19 rules to hold the event this summer.
• With in-person fundraising made difficult by pandemic restrictions, fire companies on P.E.I. have moved online.
• Despite restrictions reducing attendance, some P.E.I. churches say donations are up in the last 12 months.
• In her regular Tuesday briefing, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said there are no current plans to let young Islanders apply for other kinds of vaccine appointments now that the province's AstraZeneca vaccine delivery program has been halted over blood clot concerns.
• Morrison is urging Islanders to continue being eager and enthusiastic about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine despite a decision to halt all use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in the province. 
• A U.S. couple who consider P.E.I. home is desperate for guidance on border rules.

These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

• People over 65.
• People 60-69 with certain specific serious underlying health conditions, and their primary caregivers.
• Firefighters, police officers, power-line workers.
• Residents and staff of long-term care homes.
• Adults living in Indigenous communities.
• Residents and staff of shared living facilities.
• Truck drivers and other rotational workers.

Further resources

• Here is a chart of COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. since March 2020, and a timeline of pandemic events.
• Here is a look at how coronavirus is spreading across Canada.

Reminder about symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever.
• Cough or worsening of a previous cough.
• Possible loss of taste and/or smell.
• Sore throat.
• New or worsening fatigue.
• Headache.
• Shortness of breath.
• Runny nose.

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