Iain Rankin; photo courtesy Communications NS
The premier of Nova Scotia is welcoming news of an Atlantic travel bubble, including Newfoundland and Labrador, over the next few weeks.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting Thursday, Iain Rankin said an opening date by April 19 came out of discussions between the Atlantic premiers Wednesday night.
Rankin said Newfoundland’s case numbers are similar to New Brunswick’s, so there’s little extra risk in including them.
“I think that everyone has been wanting to see opportunities to travel throughout our region,” he said. “When you see that all of our cases are around the same level percentage-wise, it makes sense to me to start looking at it.”
An official announcement from the Council of Atlantic Premiers early Thursday afternoon confirmed the date.
Officials say including Newfoundland and Labrador is conditional, based on continued progress reducing case numbers in that province.
The reopening of the Atlantic bubble will allow residents of the Atlantic provinces to travel between the others without self-isolating for 14 days.
