COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, July 31
Canadian bubble still unlikely, and mountain biking explodes in popularity with tourism slowed
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin some details around how the Canadian Premier League will operate on P.E.I., from a public health perspective.
Complementing what Tourism Minister Matthew MacKay had said Thursday, Morrison said players will take chartered flights to the province and won't be interacting with Islanders at all.
Players will be in a 55-day bubble while on P.E.I., she said, and will have no contact with other teams between games. It's a similar process to how the NBA is operating in Orlando, Fla.
A women's mountain biking program has 'exploded' in popularity. And with COVID-19 restrictions slowing tourism, an organizer says he's started catering more to beginners, offering more learn-to-ride programs, and he can barely keep up.
People in Ontario who can't come to Fall Flavours on P.E.I. this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic will still be able to get a taste of the Island with a new offering called P.E.I. Patio Party boxes, dishing out local products and recipes from chef Mark McEwan.
For Islanders travelling in the Atlantic bubble: Nova Scotia has taken an honour-system approach to its mandatory mask policy. As of Friday, masks are mandatory in indoor public spaces in the province.
New Brunswick is also expanding its travel bubble into two Quebec border communities starting Saturday. Visitors from those border regions in the north of the province will pre-register for day trips only. N.B. Premier Blaine Higgs said about the expansion that "We have some really solid safeguards in place."
The Island has no active cases of COVID-19, with the province reporting that all 36 cases have recovered.
The next scheduled public health briefing is Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Also in the news
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An LGBTQ rights advocate on P.E.I. says the Island's law banning conversion therapy is an important message for others. This is the first Pride week on P.E.I. since the conversion therapy ban has come into effect.
- A new survey of how Island parents, teachers and students felt about online education at home during the COVID-19 lockdown this spring shows a majority of them worry it created gaps in students' learning.
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The five Islanders who have been waiting for their service dogs will have to wait even longer, since the Lions Foundation of Canada has had to suspend its dog training program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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A P.E.I. piper has found a unique way to lift spirits during the COVID-19 lockdown. James MacHattie offered a daily dose of vitamin B, as in bagpipes — virtually of course.
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.