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Parts of Labrador-Quebec border open for interprovincial travel

Residents of Labrador City and Wabush, as well as the residents of Fermont, Que., will be permitted to travel between these three communities, without self-isolating if they are asymptomatic.
The provincial government announced the easing of restrictions, shortly after announcing the Atlantic bubble. (Lee Pitts)

People are getting the green light to travel across parts of the Labrador-Quebec border, without the need to self-isolate. 

Specifically, the southern Labrador-Quebec border and the the border at Labrador West-Quebec are now open to interprovincial travel.

Residents of Labrador City and Wabush, as well as the residents of Fermont, Que., will be permitted to travel among these three communities, if they are asymptomatic, according to a media release by the provincial government.  

"The border checkpoint will remain in place to monitor movement and allow access for residents from these communities only," reads the statement.

The Lower North Shore is also open to interprovincial travel.

The easing of restrictions comes after meetings between Premier Dwight Ball and other MHAs with mayors of the Labrador communities. 

The move also comes shortly after Ball announced Newfoundland and Labrador will be part of an Atlantic bubble — an agreement between all four Atlantic provinces to have free movement among them starting July 3, with no requirement for self-isolation.

It was late April when new border patrols halted non-essential travel between Quebec and Labrador, as the region's leaders tried to protect residents from the spread of COVID-19. 

The provincial government enacted border stops between Blanc-Sablon, Que., and communities along Labrador's south coast starting Monday, mirroring measures that were already in place along the northern land route.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador