(Photo: Government of New Brunswick)
Nova Scotia, P.E.I and Newfoundland and Labrador have announced new dates for the reopening of the Atlantic Bubble.
Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin first announced that the province will lift border restrictions to Atlantic Canadians on June 23.
“Our case numbers and hospitalizations are low, and every day we are putting more and more vaccines into the arms of Nova Scotians,” Rankin said in a news release. “Low case numbers across the Atlantic provinces are a signal that reopening to our neighbours is the right step.”
This will eliminate the self-isolation rules that barred Atlantic Canadians from entering the province.
Nova Scotia will enter Phase 2 of its reopening plan on Wednesday, with an expectation that the province will open to the rest of Canada by July 14.
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier, Andrew Furey released his own statement announcing that as of 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 23, Atlantic Canadians can enter the province without testing or self-isolation.
The decision to amend the Special Measures Order come amidst low COVID-19 case numbers and a rise in vaccinations.
“This is an exciting moment for Newfoundland and Labrador and our neighbours in Atlantic Canada. We have been hoping to get to this day for quite some time, and I thank all residents for their continued patience as the COVID-19 pandemic has required us to react swiftly and definitively. I join my fellow premiers in looking forward to welcoming travel in our beautiful region,” Furey stated in a news release.
In Prince Edward Island, Premier Dennis King announced a “soft launch” to welcome Atlantic Canadians back on the island on June 23rd.
Anyone that has applied and has been approved to enter the province under the current streams of travel, will be permitted to enter without
isolation if they have received one dose of a vaccine.
“With the news of additional vaccines arriving before the end of the month, it has provided an opportunity with us to revisit our moving forward reopening plan,” King said in a COIVD-19 briefing.
The Island will open their borders to all of Canada on July 28, with an application process called the PEI pass. Individuals with two vaccines will be exempt from self-isolation, while those with one dose will have a modified self-isolation.
With files from Skye Bryden-Blom
