COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Thursday, March 25

Another case of COVID-19 was confirmed on P.E.I. Thursday — a woman in her 30s who is a close contact of a previously identified case, and who has been isolating since hearing she could have been exposed.

There's still no decision on whether Anne of Green Gables: The Musical will return this summer, as the Charlottetown Festival plans for a smaller offering of shows. The mainstage will be open but the capacity will be only 300 at this point. 

In other performance news, the COVID-19 pandemic means a no-go for P.E.I.'s Festival of Small Halls for the second year in a row — at least, the version we've known so far. 

In a question and answer session with P.E.I. festival and event organizers Thursday, Premier Dennis King promised P.E.I. festivals and events that need financial help will get it, on a case-by-case basis. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison also clarified what she means when she says large-scale gatherings will not be allowed this summer.

Malpeque MP Wayne Easter said it's time to come up with a plan to reopen the Canada-U.S. border.

The P.E.I. potato industry is looking ahead at another season of selling into a market disrupted by the pandemic.

The tourism industry is disappointed but not surprised there will be no large gatherings allowed this summer.

Prince Edward Island opened up COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone 18 to 29 years old who works with the public but some people are discovering the shots are tricky to come by. 

WestJet says it intends to resume flying to several Eastern Canada destinations in late June. The Charlottetown-Toronto flights are expected back on June 24 after a hiatus of several months due to COVID-19.

The ferry service between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., resumes May 1 and officials are hoping for an increase in passengers over last year.

Six games in the Maritime Junior Hockey League have had to be postponed, after one of the Summerside Western Capitals was reported to be among recent COVID-19 cases. The team made the announcement Wednesday.

Don't have a Prince Edward Island health card? You can still be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination on the Island. Here's how the province's policy on requiring a health card has evolved.

The QEH Foundation is offering an online 50-50 draw this spring to make up for a drop in traditional community fundraising because of pandemic public health restrictions. 

P.E.I. has had 153 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the past 12 and a half months, with no deaths or hospitalizations. There are now nine active cases, after Thursday's new case.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic region on Thursday: 

• New Brunswick reported 30 new cases of COVID-19, with 24 of those in the Edmundston zone where mass testing is underway.
• Nova Scotia confirmed three new cases, two of them related to travel outside Atlantic Canada and the third a close contact of a previously reported case.
• Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases and is down to a single active case of COVID-19 for the first time in six months.

Also in the news

• What will the summer tourism season look like? More Atlantic than usual, Morrison said Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. said it was disappointed but not surprised. 
• Prince Edward Island hotels that were open last week experienced a nice bump from March break staycationers, says the president of the Hotel Association of P.E.I. 
• The P.E.I. government says the number of businesses and not-for-profits that applied to be part of the province's Jobs for Youth wage subsidy program in 2020 was double that of previous years.

These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

• People over 75.
• People 70 to 74, with birthdays from January to August.
• People 60-69 with certain specific serious underlying health conditions and their primary caregivers.
• People 18 to 29 who cannot work virtually and have interactions with the public.
• Firefighters, police officers, power-line workers.
• Residents and staff of long-term care homes.
• Adults living in Indigenous communities.
• Residents and staff of shared living facilities.
• Truck drivers and other rotational workers.

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.

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