COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Wednesday, July 21

The tourism industry is excited to welcome visitors from the United States.

Charlottetown homeless shelters are busy

CBC News · Posted: Jul 21, 2021 5:54 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 21, 2021

As COVID-19 restrictions are lifting, there seems to be an increase in people seeking shelter. (Laura Meader/CBC)

There is lots of demand for homeless shelter beds in Charlottetown.

The tourism industry is excited to welcome visitors from the United States.

The P.E.I. border will open to travellers from the United States when the Canadian border opens on Aug. 9.

The COVID-19 delta variant increases the urgency of getting vaccinated, says Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison

Visitors from across Canada began arriving on P.E.I. Sunday without the need to self-isolate — provided they are fully vaccinated.

They've been sharing pictures of how reunions have been going so far.

Canadian and American flags — Ottawa announced Monday it would allow fully-vaccinated travellers from the U.S. without self-isolation, and P.E.I. has followed suit. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

The crack of the bat, the chatter from the dugout and the cheers from the stands were welcome sounds in Charlottetown this weekend as senior baseball returned after a one-year absence due to COVID-19.

P.E.I. has no known active cases of COVID-19, and has seen a total of 208.

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada:

New Brunswick reported no new cases, with seven active.
Nova Scotia reported seven new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, two of those new cases were aboard the HMCS Halifax. The province now has 11 active cases.
Newfoundland and Labrador has no new cases, and a total of 46 active cases of COVID-19 on three ships.

Also in the news

Tourism operators are seeing their bookings increase with the latest opening of the borders.
Charlottetown Airport is expecting to get busier with more flights and more passengers.
The P.E.I. Pride Festival kicked off on Sunday with a church service, barbecue in the park and a sold out drag show at The Guild in Charlottetown. The event is more open than last year, but pandemic restrictions are still having an impact.

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.