P.E.I. reports two new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, active cases drop to nine
Prince Edward Island is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, as the active number of cases in the province drops to nine.
During Tuesday's news update, Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s Chief Public Health Officer, said one of the cases involves a person in their 40s who is a close household contact of a previously announced case related to the West Royalty Elementary outbreak, and had already been self-isolating.
Morrison says that while there hasn’t been a new case identified at the school in over a week, the outbreak will be declared over when at least 14 days have passed ‘with no evidence of ongoing transmission’, which will be no earlier than Oct. 10.
The other new case involves an individual in their 50s who had recently travelled outside of Atlantic Canada. They are self-isolating and contact tracing is underway.
Morrison also announced one public exposure notification, at the Boston Pizza located at 700 University Avenue in Charlottetown, between 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25.
“Since August, 87 per cent of the cases in P.E.I. have been identified as the Delta variant,” said Dr. Heather Morrison during Tuesday’s news update.
Morrison says a total of 30 cases have been linked to the outbreak at West Royalty Elementary School; nine involving children under the age of 10, 15 involving children ages 10-19, and six adults who are close contacts of the children.
Prince Edward Island currently has nine active cases of COVID-19 and has reported 296 positive cases since the pandemic began.
As of Sept. 25, a total of 252,873 doses of vaccine have been administered. So far, 93.6 per cent of the eligible population have received at least one dose and 86.2 per cent have received two doses.
TESTING MEASURES AT POINTS OF ENTRY
Morrison also announced increased testing at P.E.I. points of entry, effective immediately.
“As additional protection for our residents and visitors of our province, we are taking steps to enhance our testing even further at our points of entry,” said Morrison on Tuesday. “Now is not the time for discretionary travel.”
As of Tuesday, everyone who enters the P.E.I. will be tested at the airport or at points of entry, regardless of vaccine status.
That includes P.E.I. residents returning to the province.
"At the Confederation Bridge, in order to facilitate the safe and smooth flow of traffic, there will be dedicated lanes for P.E.I. residents and high-sided vehicles. We ask that travellers be patient and build extra time into their travel schedule if there is a delay," said Morrison.
Effective Sept. 30, individuals who travel to Atlantic Canada who have one dose of vaccine will be required to self-isolate for eight days, with a negative test on day eight.
Those who are not fully vaccinated are required to self-isolate and be tested.
School age children who cannot be tested will be given a self-test kit at the point of entry to ensure they have a negative test prior to returning to school.
Morrison also is recommending that anyone over the age of 12 who travel to P.E.I., regardless of vaccine status, also be tested between days four of eight after arriving in the province.
P.E.I. PASSES ONLY FOR FULLY VACCINATED
Previously, passes were issued to people within Atlantic Canada who had one dose of vaccine.
“Given the high rate of fully vaccinated people in the Atlantic region, and the importance of being fully vaccinated to protect yourself and others from the Delta variant, going forward, P.E.I. passes will only be issued to individuals who demonstrate proof of being fully vaccinated plus 14 days.”
For people who already have a P.E.I. pass based on one dose of vaccine, there is no need to update their pass, but if they travel off-Island they should have a copy of their vaccine record.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.