COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening the week of Sept. 20

Six new COVID-19 cases were reported on Friday, none of which were related to the outbreak at West Royalty Elementary, the Chief Public Health Office said.

Six new cases reported Friday on P.E.I.

CBC News · Posted: Sep 20, 2021 6:42 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 24, 2021

A child wearing a mask gets off of a school bus while several other children walk on the sidewalk. — P.E.I. had to reverse a number of its originally more lax policies following an outbreak of COVID-19 in schools. (Francis Ferland/CBC)

Six new COVID-19 cases were reported on Friday, none of which were related to the outbreak at West Royalty Elementary, according to P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Office.

P.E.I.'s children and youth advocate says the province's back-to-school plan relegated children to second-class status.

Marvin Bernstein's office was one of a number of groups that were given little time to provide feedback on the report, including the P.E.I. Teachers' Union.

Those working in tourism say this fall is going better than expected on Prince Edward Island despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but there are still challenges.

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King says he wants to consult with the Chief Public Health Office and Elections P.E.I. about holding another vote during the pandemic before calling a byelection for Cornwall-Meadowbank.

King said at a briefing Tuesday the West Royalty outbreak "appears to be contained." The province also announced three new COVID-19 cases on the Island, two related to the outbreak.

During the briefing, King announced that a "vaccinate-or-test" policy for government workers at vulnerable facilities will come into effect Friday. The policy would target staff in classrooms, correctional facilities, early learning facilities and group homes.

King also said his government is working to create a "P.E.I. Vax Pass" which would be needed for many places, including restaurants, where large gatherings occur. The province is looking to implement it by Oct. 5.

Monday, P.E.I. issued a public exposure notification for a ceilidh which took place last Tuesday. Under current restrictions, a cohort of up to a maximum of 100 people would have been permitted to attend.

West Royalty and École La-Belle-Cloche students returned to class Monday.

Six new cases were reported over weekend, four of which are linked to the outbreak. The other two cases announced were related to travel outside Atlantic Canada. Several potential exposure sites related to recent cases were also announced Saturday.

Health P.E.I. also said that over the weekend that all West Royalty students who attended the pop-up testing clinic set up at their school Friday tested negative for COVID-19. Almost 90 per cent of students not under self-isolation were tested.

As of Sept. 18, 93.2 per cent of the eligible population on P.E.I. have received at least one vaccine dose and 85.7 per cent have received two doses

There are currently 39 active cases of COVID-19. The province has had 293 positive cases since the pandemic began.

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada

Nova Scotia reported 34 new COVID-19 cases Friday. The province's active case count is now 169.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported 45 new cases Friday, for a total of 109 active cases.
New Brunswick has 78 new cases of COVID-19 Friday and three more deaths, putting the province's active case count at 573, and triggering a state of emergency in the province.