Government clarifies ‘double bubble’ rules

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says adding six people to your “double bubble” does not mean adding six new households.

On Friday, Fitzgerald announced the people of Newfoundland and Labrador had the option of adding six people to their existing “double bubble” arrangement.

“The purpose of this expansion is to allow each of us to have more social connection, while keeping our risk for

COVID-19 as low as possible,” Fitzgerald said Monday.

At Monday’s COVID-19 update, Fitzgerald offered some clarity on what exactly it means to have six more people in one’s bubble.

“Expanding your bubble means you may add up to six people in total to a double bubble — not six people per household bubble already included in the double bubble. It’s six per bubble, in total,” she said.

“Before you invite others to join your bubble, I would encourage you to discuss the risks of doing so with other members that are in your double bubble already.”

Fitzgerald says just because someone enters your bubble, you don’t have to become a close contact of the new person. A close contact is defined as someone you spend time within six feet of for more than 15 minutes.

“Other people you add to your extended bubble will likely have their own bubbles already. You do not need to be close contact with anyone else that’s in their bubble,” she said.

“While your bubbles are connected, they are not completed joined together.”

So, if you’re already in a four-person bubble and you want to add one friend, you’ve created a five-person bubble.

That doesn’t mean that you are free to be in close contact with any members of your friend’s bubble.

Fitzgerald says keeping close contacts to as few people as possible means easier work for public health officials.

“In the event that you contract COVID-19, the fewer close contacts you have will help public health officials to conduct fast and efficient contact tracing and quarantining,” she said.

“We only have to think back to the large funeral home cluster we had early in the pandemic to see the importance contact tracing and quarantine in the control of outbreaks.”