Premier sets up new committee to work with Island grads on year-end celebrations

Starting next week, representatives from each Island high school will help come up with ideas for safe year-end celebrations during the pandemic through the premier's 2020 grad committee.

Dennis King announced the new committee in a Facebook video Friday, which will aim to organize graduates-to-be to find innovative ways to put on safe proms and graduations for the Island's class of 2020. 

This comes after King declared he would "not allow COVID-19 to rob" the class of 2020 of "important celebrations" at a news briefing in March. 

"If they can't be traditional, we can still make them memorable," he said. 

"We're going to come together, we're going to share ideas, we're going to share thoughts — we're going to collaborate," he said. 

"The unknown is scary, but in spite of all of that, the new normal that we talk about is a blank slate. It's a picture that needs to be painted and we as Islanders hold the brush. We have the chance to make it special, to make it something really, really amazing." 

In recent days, high school students across P.E.I. have been writing to the premier, thanking him for his work in keeping the province safe, and asking for him to further consider prom plans and graduation ceremonies.

"It's definitely pretty upsetting. And obviously we read the phases, the plans, and in June the biggest gathering allowed outside would be 20 people," said Grade 12 student Maddy Cronin, from Colonel Gray. 

"I know that everyone has more than 20 people they'd like to see at their grad ceremony, so it's pretty hard to process it all. And a lot of people are having a hard time with it."

Some Island students are even suggesting these once-in-a-lifetime celebrations are best to be had in-person and should therefore be postponed, rather than reinvented to accommodate COVID-19 measures.

Grade 12 student Hayden Chaisson from Westisle Composite said having an alternative graduation, whatever form that may take, just wouldn't be the same.

"I think it means a lot to me, and probably every other graduate, to have everyone there," Chaisson said.

"I appreciate that they're trying to kind of please us all, in a way, because right now I know it's hard with — we don't know where we're going to end up, and we don't even know if it's going to be possible to have these activities.

"That's why I think that our message of waiting and pushing the date really needs to be heard."

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

• Fever.
• Cough.
• Tiredness.

  But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

  Health Canada has built a self-assessment tool.

  What should I do if I feel sick?

  Isolate yourself and call 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested. A health professional at 811 will give you advice and instructions.

  How can I protect myself?

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean regularly touched surfaces regularly.
• Practise physical distancing.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government's website.

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