HALIFAX — The three leaders of the Maritime provinces indicated Tuesday that it is likely they will need to delay the reopening of the Atlantic bubble.
In a live COVID-19 news conference, Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin says all four leaders are planning a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
“It’s the right move right now. We have been watching the cases closely and listening to public health experts and following the signs,” said Rankin, during a live press conference on Tuesday. “We’ve always said that our approach is flexible and nimble and when we see science changing, we must act. That’s what’s we’re doing today.”
On Prince Edward Island, Premier Dennis King said that while an official decision has not been made yet, a recent rise in cases in the Atlantic Provinces could mean the Atlantic bubble won’t be able to reopen on the previously announced date of April 19.
“The situation is difficult and I would say that the Atlantic bubble opening on April 19 would be precarious right now,” said King on Tuesday. “I did want to be upfront and open with Islanders as we have been from beginning in state that things aren’t going our way.”
P.E.I.’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said Tuesday that she has concerns about reopening the Atlantic bubble on Monday.
“The regional epidemiologists have been meeting, and I spoke with my Atlantic counterparts last evening, and we discussed the Atlantic bubble. Based on the evidence and concerning epidemiology, this morning I did advise a Premier that I am concerned at the prospect of reopening the Atlantic bubble next week,” said Morrison during Tuesday’s update.
According to New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, the lockdown in the Edmundston, N.B., area will be a factor in the Atlantic bubble reopening.
“To think that we’re going to be out of a lockdown and feel comfortable that, OK we’ve got this beat, I would say is unlikely,” said Higgs. “So, I would say extending into, certainly by early May, is reasonable.”
The Atlantic bubble is set to reopen Monday, April 19, allowing travellers to flow between all four Atlantic provinces without quarantining.
“It’s tough to plant flags in shifting sand,” said King. “The advice I’m getting from Dr. Morrison is that a pause for 14 to 21 days, somewhere in that sphere is required, but we continue to evaluate the situation in the region and across the country.”
The first iteration of the bubble was created on July 3, when there were a combined eight active cases in the four Atlantic provinces.
The bubble was suspended on November 26, due to a second wave of COVID-19 cases across the country. At that time, Atlantic Canada had 249 combined active cases.
