Lifting mask mandate

Easing of restrictions to enter P.E.I. also announced by Morrison, King

P.E.I. hit a major pandemic milestone on July 9.

At her COVID-19 briefing, originally scheduled for July 13, Dr. Heather Morrison was joined by Premier Dennis King to announce immediate changes to both the mask and border screening policies.

Non-medical masks are no longer required to be worn in public, indoor spaces in P.E.I., although Morrison said she is still encouraging people, 12 years of age and up, to wear one, citing a number of factors: vaccine status; the person’s personal health status; who a person is with; the setting a person is in, the space they are sharing with others and whether people they encounter may be immune-compromised.

She said masks are optional for those aged two to 11 and should not be worn by children under the age of two.

“Masks do provide an important layer of protection when we are around people we do not know or may or (who) may not be protected against COVID-19.’’

DIFFERING REACTIONS

News quickly spread around Charlottetown.

At one smoke shop, no one was wearing a mask. One woman said she took hers off

the second Morrison said it was optional.

At a downtown gas station, everyone was still wearing masks with one man saying he wasn’t quite ready to take it off just yet.

The announcement will have a wide range of impacts.

For example, businesses and organizations providing in-person service to the public where physical distancing can’t be maintained — such as restaurant staff, retail and grocery staff, hair stylists and

barbers — should continue wearing masks, Morrison said, given that they don’t know the vaccine status of their customers.

“Businesses and organizations can choose to follow their own policies and guidelines that may be more strict than the provincial guidance on the wearing of non-medical masks. Service providers and organizations do not need to ask for proof of vaccine status from patrons who are not wearing a mask.’’

In addition, the chief public health officer said all healthcare facilities and providers, including Health P.E.I. hospitals and clinics, will continue to require masks until 80 per cent of eligible P.E.I. residents are fully vaccinated.

Masks remain mandatory for all staff, visitors and partners-in-care in long-term care homes. They also continue to be required for any individual who has specific travel-related self-isolation exemptions, such as workisolators or compassionate travellers.

BORDER SCREENING

Morrison also announced changes to P.E.I.’s border screening measures.

Effective immediately, people coming into P.E.I. from Atlantic Canada who have a P.E.I. pass will not be tested at the points of entry. People will still be screened.

Testing will continue for people coming in from Atlantic Canada who do not have a P.E.I. pass and are required to isolate for eight days. Testing is also mandatory for people coming in from provinces outside Atlantic Canada and for international travellers.

P.E.I. will begin allowing visitors in from outside Atlantic Canada on July 18.

King said public health guidelines have eased faster than originally expected because of the medical factors that go into the decisionmaking process.

“The national numbers have declined, the regional numbers have been minimal, the uptake in vaccinations in Prince Edward Island and across the country has been very strong,’’ said the premier.

Across Canada, the number of new cases dropped 20 per cent in the past week with an average of 473 new cases reported per day, similar to where things were last August. There are fewer than 6,000 active cases in Canada.

King said the decision was also made in light of the fact that since P.E.I. opened its border June 27, more than 25,000 rapid tests have been conducted without a single result coming back positive.

All of the numbers tell Morrison that vaccines are doing their job and that public health measures are working. She added that her office continues to monitor variants of concern around the world.

P.E.I.’s chief public health officer said that, based on the current supply of vaccine in the province, there should be enough of the mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) to vaccinate 50 per cent of residents, 12 and up, by the end of this month.

Morrison also wanted to reassure Islanders that if they got Pfizer as their first dose, it is perfectly safe to receive Moderna on the second shot and vice-versa.

CONTRIBUTED Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, says there is enough vaccine in the province to fully vaccinate half of the eligible population in the province by the end of July.

CONTRIBUTED P.E.I. Premier Dennis King says lifting the mandatory mask policy for most Islanders and easing border restrictions are major milestones on the province’s path back to normal.