Self-isolation on P.E.I. needs to tighten up: Morrison

Some Prince Edward Islanders are not self-isolating as they are legally required to and are putting others at risk, says P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison.

Morrison took some time to address the issue of people self-isolating at her regular weekly pandemic briefing Tuesday.

"Self-isolation is the bedrock of our ability to contain transmission of COVID-19," said Morrison.

"I am aware that there are people in P.E.I. who do not want to follow self-isolation rules and may have chosen to put themselves and others at risk."

She said people returning to P.E.I. after out-of-province travel, as well as people diagnosed with COVID-19 and their close contacts, are among those who are legally required to quarantine themselves.

There have been hundreds of complaints lodged on the Island over people perceived to be not following the rules.

"As of January 15, there have been close to 200 warnings issued, 77 charges and 3 pending charges for public health violations," a provincial spokesperson said in an email to CBC News late Tuesday afternoon. "These charges can fall under the Criminal Code or the Public Health Act. Many of the charges are related, but not limited to, failure to self-isolate.

"Conservation officers have followed up on 459 complaints on behalf of Public Health and they have attended close to 650 residents since the beginning of enforcement activity."

'This virus is tricky'

There have definitely been cases of COVID-19 on P.E.I. connected to people not self-isolating properly, Morrison said at her briefing. Sometimes it has been through honest mistakes or the difficulties of self-isolating in the space people had available.

But in other cases, people chose not to follow the requirements and may have spread the disease without realizing that they had it.

"This virus is tricky," said Morrison. "People don't feel sick, and they don't look sick, and they can still spread the virus. It's unintentional but there's a reason isolation is important."

This unintentional spread puts pressure on the health-care system, said Morrison, but the most important thing is the unnecessary risk that it exposes other Islanders to.

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