Atlantic travel bubble coming July 3
HALIFAX — Starting July 3, Atlantic Canadians will be able to travel freely among all four provinces without having to self-isolate.
The long-awaited announcement about a so-called Atlantic bubble came from the four premiers early Wednesday afternoon. The news comes as new and active COVID-19 cases have remained low or at zero across the region for the last few weeks.
The lifting of restrictions means that interprovincial travel without the requirement to self-isolate will be permitted in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Visitors from other Canadian provinces and territories must adhere to the local entry requirements in place in each of the four jurisdictions, a joint press release indicates. The premiers — Dwight Ball of N.L., Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island's Dennis King and Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil — said the decision was guided by advice from their medical officers of health "and will continue to be closely monitored."
Each province will choose their own processes to track and monitor travellers — Atlantic visitors to Prince Edward Island, for example, will be required to complete a self-declaration form online and provide a copy of the completed form at points of entry to the province. McNeil said checkpoints into the provinces will be maintained and anyone coming in will have to identify with an Atlantic Canadian I.D. or proof of isolation.
Other Canadian visitors to the Maritime provinces that have self-isolated for 14 days may also travel within the region. McNeil said travellers from outside of Canada will be issued a document via email that will allow them to travel within the region once they’ve provided info about when they arrived, how long they self-isolated, and where they isolated.
Newfoundland and Labrador will not allow entry to outside seasonal residents or cottagers at this time, while the Maritimes will allow seasonal travellers free travel once they have completed a 14-day quarantine.
While P.E.I. does not yet have plans in place to open up visitors to other provinces, both McNeil and Ball said Wednesday their provinces are gearing up to welcome travellers from the rest of Canada in July.
If all goes well, Ball said the plan in Newfoundland and Labrador to further ease travel restrictions starting on Friday, July 17 — two weeks after the opening of the Atlantic bubble.
“This can only be possible if we get favourable results in the days and weeks leading into July 17,” Ball cautioned.
McNeil was less specific. He said the province will reassess the situation with the hope of opening to the rest of Canada in the second or third week of July.
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM
With millions of visitors flocking to the region contributing billions to the economy in a normal year there’s no question that businesses across the region are feeling the pinch from the border closures.
Business owner Jennifer Ridgeway said in the summer, visitors from out of province account for roughly 75 per cent of business at her Charlottetown shops where it has been “very quiet’’ compared to a regular, prepandemic June, she adds.
“I guess that I could say that I’m cautiously optimistic,’’ says Ridgeway.
“I think everybody is hoping to make enough money to keep their staff on.’’
She believes the Atlantic bubble could help keep some businesses from going bankrupt this summer.
Rosemary Lee, owner of The Eden Hall Inn on West Street in Charlottetown, calls the bubble “good news’’ but is worried about a possible spread of COVID-19. She is struggling with whether to stay open for now.
David Kogon is the mayor of the Town of Amherst that shares a border with Sackville in New Brunswick. He said small to medium-sized businesses in the two communities have been particularly hard hit by the border closures and has been pushing for an exception.
“The two economies are very intertwined,” he said. “We're thrilled that they finally opened up the Atlantic region.”
On Tuesday, the federal government announced it was injecting $16 million into Atlantic Canadian tourism to help the industry get back on its feet.
SECOND WAVE
Even with the lifting of travel restrictions, the premiers stressed the need to continue to adhere to public health guidelines such as physical distancing, mask-wearing, regular hand washing, and staying home if you're feeling unwell.
“This is not the same as it was a year ago, you have to continue to follow those health protocols,” McNeil said.
But as far as concerns about a potential second wave, premiers say they’re prepared.
McNeil said he feels the provinces and their health systems are better equipped to deal with COVID-19 in the event of another outbreak.
“There's evidence globally that the countries that have continued to practice good public health protocols [...] have continued to keep the second wave flat and not have it put the kind of pressure on their healthcare system and the economy as their first wave,” he said,