CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. -- Prince Edward Island is taking extra measures to try and halt the spread of COVID-19 – including the closure of government owned liquor stores across the province.
In a news conference Wednesday, Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.'s chief public health officer, says all personal beauty care providers, including barbers, hair dressers, and nail and tattoo salons, will close immediately following a discussion with the Hairdressers Association.
As of Thursday at 2 p.m., all 17 liquor stores throughout Prince Edward Island will be closed until further notice. This comes after an agreement between Dr. Morrison and cabinet that liquor and cannabis corporations are not an essential service.
Following the announcement hundreds of islanders lined up outside the liquor store, without practising social-distancing. Morrison says this is disappointing.
"I'm disappointed with Islanders' response in the last three hours," said Morrison. "We have talked about social distancing, we have talked about the importance of staying at home unless it's essential and that appears to have been ignored in the last three hours."
Morrison later announced they are working on alternative options for islanders' to access liquor and cannabis products.
Community facilities and gathering places, including malls, gyms, and pools are also being asked to close immediately until further notice.
Morrison wants to assure the public that essential services will remain open during the pandemic.
"It is important to note that food banks will remain open," said Morrison. "This is essential as we continue to support individuals and families who are most in need, and the community needs to continue to support the food banks in this."
Pharmacies on the island will also remain open.
"Pharmacies will remain open, of course, and they will now be providing care where possible for patients who are unable to access a primary care prescriber," said Dr. Morrison.
"This emergency prescribing gives more flexibility for pharmacists to supply an interim supply of medications, not including opioids, for patients, and this applies to prescriptions that are already on files at pharmacies."
Prince Edward Island has completed 183 tests for COVID-19, with one confirmed case.
The confirmed case, a woman in her 50s, was on a cruise ship and then took WestJet flight 3440 from Toronto to Moncton on March 7.
Dr. Morrison expects a lot of results from those tests to be returned on Wednesday.
"The testing capacity we have on Prince Edward Island will be changing and we will be able to do our own testing here in a couple of weeks, which I think will be fantastic for turning around negative test results more quickly," said Dr. Morrison.
Dr. Morrison added, although they are using as many precautions, and measures as possible to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus on the island, she does expect more cases to pop up in the coming weeks.
