N.S. beefs up border system

American student traced to three infections

Nova Scotia is beefing up its COVID-19 border rules after an American student failed to self-quarantine after coming into the province.

The student has been traced to three infections on Prince Edward Island after he came into close contact with an Islander at some point during his stay in Nova Scotia.

As a result of this case and other reports of people coming into the province from outside the Atlantic bubble without quarantining, Nova Scotia will require people to fill out a self-declaration form as of today. They must provide information on where they plan to self-quarantine, as well as contact and other other information.

Nova Scotia public health officials will call those people every day and if they cannot be contacted after three attempts, police will be called in, Premier Stephen McNeil said at a news briefing on Monday.

He scolded an American student and others who come into the province without self-quarantining.

“We have worked hard together and sacrificed so much in this province to help flatten the curve, only to have some people come into the province who think they are above it all, who think that the rules don’t apply to them. Guess what, they do,” McNeil said at a COVID-19 briefing Monday.

The man, who goes to school in Prince Edward Island, flew to Toronto from the United States and then to Halifax on June 26. McNeil said he ignored the requirement for people on a student visa to quarantine for 14 days.

“The individual is not a Nova Scotian but after flying in from the U.S. to Toronto they were cleared by Canada Border Services to board a flight to Halifax. There are signs posted all over Halifax airport and our own provincial officials are there to provide information about the current state of emergency in our province and the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days if they are coming from outside of the Atlantic bubble,” the premier said.

At some point during his stay in Nova Scotia, the student came into contact with a P.E.I. resident who later tested positive for COVID-19. Two close contacts of the P.E.I. resident also tested positive, including a woman who works at a Charlottetown nursing home.

The student tried to get into P.E.I. but he was turned away because he hadn’t filled out a self-declaration form, the premier said.