COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Tuesday, June 15

P.E.I.'s reopening dates have been moved up, and the tourism industry is thrilled.

Atlantic Canadians with at least one dose of vaccine will be able to visit P.E.I. a little earlier

CBC News · Posted: Jun 15, 2021 5:41 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 15, 2021

P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison says Islanders arriving without a P.E.I. Pass can expect delays, and non-residents may be denied entry. (Kirk Pennell/CBC)

Atlantic Canadians with at least one dose of vaccine will be able to visit P.E.I. — Step 2 in the plan — a little earlier than the original June 27 date, on June 23.

Starting this Thursday, people from Atlantic Canada will be able to apply for a P.E.I. Pass, which will allow them to travel to the Island without self-isolating.

The P.E.I. tourism industry is thrilled that the Island will be opening sooner to visitors.

Northumberland Ferries, which connects Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, is now taking bookings for non-commercial traffic in anticipation of the Island opening up to the rest of Atlantic Canada.

A Dartmouth woman is disappointed her Charlottetown mother was refused a compassionate grounds exception for travel to help her following the birth of her first child.

There have been 206 cases of COVID-19 on P.E.I., and none are active. There have been no deaths and two hospitalizations. Prince Edward Island has reported no new cases since June 3.

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada:

Nova Scotia reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 29 recoveries, bringing the total active caseload to 97 — the lowest number since April 21. The province also announced that as of June 23, residents of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador will be able to enter Nova Scotia without having to self-isolate for 14 days.
New Brunswick reported three new cases and has 85 active cases. It also hit its 75 per cent first-dose vaccination target and will open up to P.E.I. travellers at midnight.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported two new cases. It has 41 active cases.

Also in the news

The Upper Room Hospitality Ministry in Charlottetown has taken over a new space to enable it to help more people at once, given pandemic restrictions.
Just as the 9/11 attacks did 20 years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic will transform the way people travel internationally — with hundreds of millions of dollars in new government spending planned for modernizing border security and updating public health measures at airports.
Tourism operators are expressing concerns that P.E.I. is opening to tourists more slowly than the rest of the region. Premier Dennis King is worried about the province's ability to handle an outbreak.

These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

People over 12.
Islanders over 18 can book an appointment for Moderna vaccine at a pharmacy.

You can find more information about how to get a vaccine here.

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.