COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Saturday, July 4

During an unscheduled briefing this afternoon, Prince Edward Island's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced that the province has 3 new cases of COVID-19.

All three are Island residents and essential workers: a man in his 50s, and two people in their 20s.

One of the younger patients is a female worker at Whisperwood Villa, a long-term care facility in Charlottetown. She had been experiencing symptoms and is now recovering.

Morrison said visits to the facility have now been halted, and staff and residents are all being tested.

The new cases bring the province's COVID-19 total to 30; the most recent previous case had been reported more than two months ago, on April 28.

Bubble visitors arrive

It's also the first weekend of the Atlantic bubble, and thousands are expected to enter P.E.I. over the weekend.

Pandemic restrictions were lifted for Atlantic Canadians at 12:01 a.m. Friday, allowing movement among the four provinces without a two-week quarantine.

However, each province still has checkpoints and rules for entry.

Travellers destined for P.E.I. have to fill out a declaration form before entering the province to prove they live in Atlantic Canada.

As of late Friday morning, the province had distributed 5,200 forms for arrivals on Friday and Saturday.

There were countless reunions across the Island Friday as families came together to celebrate the bubble.

Other COVID-19 developments

The provincial government released information on what schools will look like in the fall due to COVID-19, but some Island parents are raising concerns about missing details.

The P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation's seven sites are now open with new protocols in place adhering to COVID-19 restrictions. The sites are Green Park Shipbuilding Museum and Yeo House, Acadian Museum, Eptek Art and Culture Centre, Orwell Corner Historic Village, Beaconsfield Historic House, Basin Head Fisheries Museum and Elmira Railway Museum.

And one woman is using COVID-19 as a reason to visit every lighthouse on the Island.

Also in the news

Further resources

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.