The four Atlantic premiers have stated that Atlantic Bubble won’t be reopened until May 3, and even then it will have to be determined if another delay is necessary. The premiers said that the opening was supposed to happen on April 19, but the region’s chief public health offices advised against it.
The statement said:
“Given the recent surge in cases of COVID-19 in parts of Atlantic Canada and the emergence of more transmissible forms of the virus, the Council of Atlantic Premiers has agreed to delay the reopening of the Atlantic bubble by at least two weeks, to May 3, 2021. The premiers will meet during the last week of April to review the status of outbreaks and determine if a further delay to May 10, 2021, is required.”
During that period, the region will continue to distribute vaccines and address the new COVID-19 outbreaks. When the Atlantic Bubble gets reopened, the locals will be able to travel within the region without being obliged to self-isolate for 14 days.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King stated that this was not an easy decision to make:
“I count myself with those Islanders and those in the region who hoped for the bubble to be opened soon, but we could only do that when it is safe to do so. And it really does come down to nothing more than the fact that the epidemiology and the advice of the public health officers are that this would not be the right time to open to individual travel beyond our borders.”
Premier Blaine Higgs said that the planned April 19 target reopening date is not a definite solution, and that government needs to adapt to COVID-19 and additional outbreaks.
Blaine Higgs added:
“For us, it’s been the Edmundston issue. If we mitigate that with vaccines, that makes it more secure for us to open.”
It remains to be seen how the province will endure the latest COVID-19 outbreaks. It seems that new delays are not so improbable.
