HALIFAX -- Prince Edward Island has announced a new travel-related case of COVID-19, along with the launch of a new COVID-19 alert system for the province.
The new case involves a P.E.I. man in his 20s who travelled outside Atlantic Canada. He did not travel by air.
The province says the man is doing well and is self-isolating at home. Public health is following the case and contact tracing is underway.
This brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. to 59 and there are now two active cases in the province.
P.E.I. has not reported any deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.
The province says all 59 cases have been travel-related and there has been no evidence of community spread.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison also announced Tuesday that P.E.I. will move to the ‘new normal’ phase on Thursday.
Under this phase, gathering limits will be increasing, visiting guidelines in long-term care homes will be further relaxed, opportunity for sport and recreational activities will be increased, and more public services will be available.
Morrison also confirmed that P.E.I. has launched a three-phased colour-coded COVID-19 alert system to support planning and decision-making during the pandemic.
Beginning Thursday, the province will be in the green, or ‘new normal’ phase. Other phases include ‘caution’ or yellow, and ‘restricted,’ or red.
Key factors such as transmission of COVID-19 in the province, capacity to conduct testing, operation isolation and contact tracing, health-care system capacity, outbreak risk in settings such as long-term care, risk of importation of COVID-19 into the province, and overall impact to Islanders will be used to determine when to move between the various alert levels.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 drop-in testing clinics in Charlottetown and Summerside are expanding their hours of operation to seven days per week. Islanders who experience symptoms of COVID-19 are encouraged to visit a drop-in testing clinic to be tested.
