P.E.I. announces new COVID-19 restrictions for those entering the province; 29 new cases Tuesday

Prince Edward Island announced Tuesday that the province is putting further restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Starting Wednesday at 8 a.m., anyone arriving from out of the province will be required to isolate for four days. Every traveller entering the province will be given two rapid tests and will be required to complete the tests at day two and day four. If both tests are negative, that individual can leave isolation.

“We know that the importation of the virus remains our biggest challenge,” said Premier Dennis King in a live press conference Tuesday.

If a traveller chooses to isolate with others, the entire group or family will be required to isolate as well.

In addition, the closing time for all bars and restaurants will now be 11 p.m.

“It is with a heavy and conflicted heart that we make this announcement today. We never planned or wanted to go back to this, but if we want to stop the spread of the virus to get our children back to school safely, to get our kids’ activities and sports restarted, and to get back to some kind of normal in our province, we need to do this,” said King.

King took a moment to address those who are currently isolating in relation to the recent cases.

“Some of you will be spending Christmas in isolation and that is a really difficult situation to be in,” said King.

“I hope you know, that by isolating, that you are giving a gift of thoughtfulness and kindness to others by doing your part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our province.”

King says the health protocols the province has put in place are designed to serve two critical purposes, to reduce the spread of the variant and to take every precaution possible to try and get things back to normal as soon as possible.

“Though we are 22 months into this life altering reality, the past few days we are seeing levels of infection that we haven’t seen since the onset of this pandemic. This surge in cases is disappointing and discouraging in so many ways, but it is the reality that we find ourselves in,” said King.

“I promise you that we are doing everything we can to try and get through this as fast as we can, with the focus on remaining as safe and healthy as we can.”

King says Island residents need to limit travel and limit personal interactions.

“This isn’t the time for parties, for gatherings, or staff celebrations. I know this is as hard for some of you to hear as it is for Dr. Morrison and I to say it, but it is the reality we face today and tomorrow and it requires us to make these difficult decisions,” said King.

29 NEW CASES TUESDAY

P.E.I. also reported 29 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, increasing the total number of active infections in the province to 112.

Morrison says the new cases include four people who are not permanent residents, but are isolating in P.E.I. and being managed by public health.

“Going forward, individuals who are permanent residents in another jurisdiction and are diagnosed with COVID-19 in P.E.I., will be included in our daily number of cases, but will not be counted in our active case count, or total number of cases, given that they are already included in counts in their own jurisdictions,” said Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer.

In the last seven days, P.E.I. has had 115 new cases of COVID-19, including 18 cases of the Omicron variant. Of the cases announced in the last week, 58 per cent are close contacts, 22 per cent were linked to travel within Canada, 15 per cent linked to travel outside of Canada, and five per cent were acquired in the community.

“We have a large number of people in self-isolation as a result of being close contacts, including a total of 125 students from Montague Consolidated, Belfast Consolidated, and Colonel Gray High School,” said Morrison.