COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Monday, June 14

P.E.I.'s tourism industry is hoping new vaccination incentives will speed up P.E.I.'s reopening plan.

Northumberland Ferries, which connects Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, is now taking bookings for non-commercial traffic in anticipation of the Island opening up to the rest of Atlantic Canada.

A Dartmouth woman is disappointed her Charlottetown mother was refused a compassionate grounds exception for travel to help her following the birth of her first child.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison is scheduled to return with regular pandemic briefing Tuesday. There was no briefing last week following a move to biweekly sessions.

The P.E.I. government announced Friday the Island will receive an additional 29,000 doses of COVID-19  vaccine before the end of June. That could mean pandemic restrictions loosening earlier than planned, the premier and Dr. Heather Morrison say. 

There have been 206 cases of COVID-19 on P.E.I. and four are considered active. There have been no deaths and two hospitalizations. Prince Edward Island has reported no new cases since June 3.

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada: 

• Nova Scotia  reported eight new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. There are 124 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Nova Scotia will officially begin Phase 2 of its reopening plan Wednesday, which includes larger social gatherings and a return to indoor dining.
• New Brunswick reported one new case of COVID-19 on Monday and has again fallen short of the vaccination target needed to move to the first phase of loosening restrictions. It has 90 active cases.
• Newfoundland and Labrador reported four new cases. It has 39 active cases.

Also in the news

• The Upper Room Hospitality Ministry in Charlottetown has taken over a new space to enable it to help more people at once, given pandemic restrictions.
• Just as the 9/11 attacks did 20 years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic will transform the way people travel internationally — with hundreds of millions of dollars in new government spending planned for modernizing border security and updating public health measures at airports.
• Tourism operators are expressing concerns that P.E.I. is opening to tourists more slowly than the rest of the region. Premier Dennis King is worried about the province's ability to handle an outbreak.

These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

• People over 12.
• Islanders over 18 can book an appointment for Moderna vaccine at a pharmacy.

You can find more information about how to get a vaccine here.

Further resources

• Here is a chart of COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. since March 2020, and a timeline of pandemic events.
• Here is a look at how coronavirus is spreading across Canada.

Reminder about symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever.
• Cough or worsening of a previous cough.
• Possible loss of taste and/or smell.
• Sore throat.
• New or worsening fatigue.
• Headache.
• Shortness of breath.
• Runny nose.

More from CBC P.E.I.