2 new cases of COVID-19 in P.E.I.; authorities urge islanders to follow travel advice

CHARLOTTETOWN – There are two new cases of COVID-19 in Prince Edward Island, bringing the island’s number of active cases to three.

The two cases are unrelated and affect a man in his 20s and a man in his 40s, according to a Sunday morning news release from the provincial government.

Both cases are related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada, the release said. The men have been in self-isolation since they arrived in the province, and authorities say contract tracing is complete.

P.E.I. has had 63 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic and all are travel-related, the release said.

The release also says the province’s Public Health office is closely monitoring the situation in New Brunswick, where 57 new cases have been announced in under a week.

“What is happening in New Brunswick could happen in Prince Edward Island, and it is a reminder of how quickly the virus can spread,“ the province’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said in the release.

2:01 Health officials across Atlantic Canada closely monitoring outbreak in New Brunswick

Most of the New Brunswick cases are connected to outbreaks in the Campbellton region and at Moncton’s Notre-Dame Manor special-care home. P.E.I. health officials are asking Islanders to avoid all unnecessary travel to those regions.

Anyone returning from those areas is asked to wear a mask when they leave their house for two weeks after their return, and to minimize contact with people outside of their close contacts and households.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2020.