COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, July 3

The Atlantic bubble is now open and thousands of visitors are expected on P.E.I. this weekend.

There were countless reunions across the Island Friday as families came together. 

Some travellers were on Confederation Bridge at midnight, eager to cross the Northumberland Strait as soon as possible.

Here's what some had to say about their plans to cross the Confederation Bridge the moment the bubble opened.

If you're an Islander wondering what you'll face trying to enter the other three Atlantic provinces, here's a handy guide of what border screeners will be looking for. 

Confederation Bridge officials were making plans to ensure traffic did not back up onto the bridge, and Northumberland Ferries was deluged with inquiries.

While many Atlantic Canadians are eager to come, some were cancelling their plans in the face of news stories about vehicles with out-of-province plates being targeted.

In other news, the Prince Edward Island government has released more details of how it intends to bring children back to school safely in the fall, with COVID-19 in mind.

At Tuesday's briefing Morrison said almost 1,400 new negative tests have returned since last week, and over 11,500 tests from P.E.I. have been done.

P.E.I. has had 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the most recent on April 28. All have recovered.

Also in the news

• It's never easy to be in recovery from addiction, but the pandemic has brought new challenges.
• The Atlantic business community is concerned about the long-term implications of the suspension of some of Air Canada's flight routes in the region.
• A legislative committee rejected proposed changes to P.E.I.'s Emergency Measures Act.
• P.E.I. lifeguard services will be supervising more Island beaches this year. They will also have an added duty — asking people to spread out if they get too close to other beachgoers to maintain physical distancing guidelines put in place due to COVID-19.

Further resources

• Here is information for living with the COVID-19 pandemic on P.E.I. — including information on government relief programs, physical distancing measures, and essential health services.
• Here is a chart tracking COVID-19 numbers and a timeline of COVID-19-related events on P.E.I.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.