COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, May 28

Two new cases of COVID-19 were announced on P.E.I. Friday, and P.E.I.'s reopening plan is getting good reviews.

2 new cases of COVID-19 announced on P.E.I. Friday

CBC News · Posted: May 28, 2021 5:45 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 28, 2021

P.E.I. will be expanding capacity at the Confederation Bridge checkpoint to allow for rapid testing to be done as people enter the province. (Shane Hennessey/CBC)

P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island Friday, both people in their 30s who travelled outside Atlantic Canada.

Planning is already complete and the P.E.I. government will break ground Friday morning for an 18-lane parking lot at the foot of Confederation Bridge to accommodate COVID-19 testing for people arriving in the province.

With a pandemic and drought under its boots, the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture says it's not surprised at all by the province's farm income stats for 2020: cash receipts are at an all-time high, but recent data from Statistics Canada suggests the total net farm income took a nosedive.

P.E.I.'s reopening plan as it emerges from the pandemic is getting good reviews from the tourism industry.

Premier Dennis King and Morrison announced the five-step plan for reopening the province's borders Thursday. First, some restrictions will be eased on P.E.I., and by June 27 the Island should be ready to welcome visitors from the other Atlantic provinces, with rapid testing at borders.

King addressed concerns about long lineups to come to P.E.I. with that testing, as well as other details of the plan, in an interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

Some Prince Edward Islanders will be getting second doses of COVID-19 vaccine sooner than expected. Morrison said public clinics are reducing the time between appointments from 16 weeks to 12 to 14 weeks.

The federal government has created a new fund to support festivals and events on P.E.I. through another summer of pandemic restrictions. It will be administered locally by the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I.

There have been 202 cases of COVID-19 on P.E.I. and 12 are considered active. There have been no deaths and two hospitalizations.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic region:

Nova Scotia reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 585.
Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. It now has 96 active cases.
Nine new cases were confirmed in New Brunswick. It now has 139 active cases.

Also in the news

With this summer's tourism season uncertain, so are the prospects for students looking for summer jobs.
Appointments for COVID-19 vaccines at 12 of P.E.I.'s pharmacies are now available to all eligible adults.
Businesses in eastern P.E.I. are keen to see the ferries reopened to non-commercial traffic.
Many Canadians relying on employment insurance this year are in for a "rude awakening" come September, says P.E.I. Sen. Diane Griffin. That's when some measures meant to ease people off the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and onto EI are set to expire.

These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

People over 12.
Islanders over 18 can book an appointment for a 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.