COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Sunday, April 11
Some tourism operators still deciding whether to open for the season
Some golf courses on P.E.I. are enjoying their earliest spring opening yet.
More Prince Edward Islanders have begun foraging for their own food, and experts say a snack can be as close as your own backyard.
Even as the Atlantic bubble is scheduled to bring down barriers in the Atlantic provinces in a little more than a week, many P.E.I. tourism operators are still trying to decide whether to open this season.
Coffee shops in Charlottetown are delicately discouraging "computer campers" from taking up tables for hours at a time when space is at a premium.
Now with the bubble scheduled to reopen April 19, two brothers from P.E.I. now living in New Brunswick are reviving a P.E.I.-themed beer in hopes of luring Islanders to the mainland.
Work is progressing on the interior of the new rink in Tyne Valley, P.E.I., and the community hopes to have it open in time for the annual oyster festival this summer.
The Prince County Hospital in Summerside, P.E.I., has begun a pilot project with a goal for late fall of recruiting three intensive care nurses with at least five years of experience.
Starting April 12, Islanders aged 55 can begin receiving the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine at 12 Island pharmacies.
Prince Edward Island recorded its 162nd case of COVID-19 Friday, with news of a case linked to travel outside the Atlantic region.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic region:
- New Brunswick reported nine new cases Sunday and now has 148 known active cases.
- Nova Scotia reported five new cases and now has 40 active cases.
- Saturday, Newfoundland and Labrador added four new cases of COVID-19, leaving the province with 10 active cases.
Also in the news
- Some seasonal residents and others with family connections on P.E.I. are thrilled at the prospect of coming to the Island this summer without the need to self-isolate for 14 days — provided they have proof of vaccination.
- The Charlottetown Airport has another flight coming in, starting Aug. 2. PAL Airlines will offer a Charlottetown-Halifax service three times a week, saying it will be expanding to help smooth the region's post-pandemic recovery.
- Prince Edward Island's seesawing unemployment rate went down to 8.1 per cent in March, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began to take a bite out of jobs. That's according to Statistics Canada data released Friday.
- Continuing pandemic restrictions have quashed any hope of staging Anne of Green Gables — The Musical at the Charlottetown Festival this summer. Organizers announced the Anneless 2021 lineup on Thursday.
These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine
- People over 60.
- People over the age of 55 may book for an AstraZeneca vaccine at a pharmacy.
- Islanders 40-59 years of age with underlying medical conditions, and all eligible members of their household.
- People providing health care services to the public — including optometrists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists — and their support staff.
- 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.