'Atlantic bubble' details being worked out, Ball says
Premier now more open to the idea, people 'ready to move around more'
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball is more open to allow the free flow of people between the Atlantic provinces, saying officials are just working out the details of a regional bubble.
"We've come a long way in Newfoundland and Labrador," Dwight Ball told reporters Friday.
"I think people seemingly now are ready to move about more."
Newfoundland and Labrador bans non-residents from coming into the province, unless they have an exemption. Anyone entering the province is required to isolate for 14 days.
On Thursday, the province announced the recovery of the last patient with COVID-19, meaning there are now no known active cases of the highly infectious disease.
The "Atlantic bubble" would allow people to move back and forth between Canada's four Atlantic provinces without the requirement to isolate.
This can happen because of the low number of cases, which means a relatively low risk that the virus could spread.
Prince Edward Island also has no known active cases of the disease.
Ball wouldn't give an idea of when the bubble could come into effect, but New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters the aim is to have that in place by early July, and — if all goes well — expand the bubble to include other Canadian provinces later that month.
"We'll get there as soon as our work is finished with public health officials. We know people are in the mood to do some travelling," Ball said.
Just a week ago, Ball was much less supportive of the idea. "Now is not the time for us," he told reporters on June 11.
The province is set to relax restrictions further next week as it moves into Alert Level 2. That will allow more businesses to open, including gyms, bars and playgrounds.
Higgs said part of the delay in announcing the bubble was to allow officials to figure out how to respond if there are outbreaks in one area, or province, and to try to harmonize some of the rules to travellers face similar restrictions across Atlantic provinces.
Ball promised to give businesses enough time to get ready.
Tourism businesses in particular have supported the idea of allowing greater travel between provinces in the hopes of salvaging part of the season.
Normally about half the tourist spending in Newfoundland and Labrador — about $500 million a year — comes from out-of-province visitors.
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