**** CAP Media Release
Atlantic Travel Bubble Discussions Deferred
Premier Blaine Higgs chaired a teleconference of the Council of Atlantic Premiers to discuss COVID-19 outbreaks now under way within the region. He was joined by Premier Dennis King of Prince Edward Island, Premier Iain Rankin of Nova Scotia and Premier Andrew Furey of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Premiers agreed that recent outbreaks of COVID-19, accelerated by emerging variants of concern, have made it necessary to maintain restrictions on non-essential travel within the Atlantic region. Premiers will revisit the re-opening of the Atlantic Travel Bubble when the threat of further outbreaks has been reduced, based on advice from the region’s Chief Medical Officers of Health.
Premiers expressed gratitude to front-line workers for their ongoing efforts and urged Atlantic Canadians to continue to follow public health guidance and advice as they have been throughout the pandemic.
Premiers remain optimistic that travel within Atlantic Canada will resume by summer, when most Atlantic Canadians have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccine rollout will help provide protection against COVID-19, and Atlantic Premiers strongly encourage Atlantic Canadians to continue to get vaccinated.
Premiers support the federal government’s commitment to ensure federal supports for workers and employers remain in place. However, they noted that these supports should stay in place at their current levels for as long as they are needed to offset the negative impact of the pandemic on the region’s economy.
For more information about the COVID-19 response and specific public health requirements for each of the Atlantic Provinces, please consult the following links:
-
New Brunswick: http://www.gnb.ca/coronavirus
-
Newfoundland and Labrador: http://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/
-
Nova Scotia: http://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/
-
Prince Edward Island: http://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/covid-19
