Testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) will be expanded to Island residents who have travelled from out-of-province, chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced Monday.
For the last two weeks, health officials have prioritized testing individuals who have travelled outside of Canada and those they may have had contact with.
But over the weekend, screening procedures were introduced for all out-of-province travellers arriving via the Confederation Bridge and the Charlottetown Airport.
Out-of-province travellers are now also required to self-isolate for 14 days after entering P.E.I.
In P.E.I., 400 tests have been conducted as of Monday, up from 150 one week ago.
There are currently three confirmed cases of coronavirus on P.E.I. All have been linked with international travel. The most recent case, a woman in her 20’s returning from Spain, entered the province in a private vehicle after landing a return flight in Moncton.
"We are wanting to test those travellers who have returned from outside the country and outside the province who are having symptoms," Morrison said during a media briefing on Monday.
"This is part of our search and our desire to make sure we have early identification of cases and look for any evidence of any community transmission."
Morrison said the province plans to increase its testing numbers in the days ahead. Tests are currently being sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, but Morrison said plans are in place to set up a lab on P.E.I.
Morrison also took some time to clarify the distinction between self-isolation and social distancing.
Self-isolation is for individuals who have returned from international travel, or from another province, in the last 14 days, individuals in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or individuals waiting to receive the results of a test.
Those in self-isolation should not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, Morrison said. Groceries should be dropped off by someone else, and public areas should be avoided.
"We are hearing of people who are supposed to be self-isolating who are stopping at the grocery store or gas station on their way home, for instance, from the airport," Morrison said.
"That is not part of social isolation."
Social distancing refers to everyone else. It is meant to minimize the possibility of transmission of the deadly virus. Individuals practising social distancing should still remain home as much as possible but can leave for errands as long as they maintain a two-metre distance from others.
"Going over to a friend's house for coffee is not social distancing. Going to the store with your entire family is not social distancing. Only one member should be designated to go to the grocery store,” Morrison said.
Morrison said she kept her own mother from attending a grandson’s birthday as a result of social distancing.
Morrison said the three individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are all doing well. The first case, who returned to the Island on March 8, has finished her self-isolation time.
Morrison said the protocol for individuals who have experienced “mild illness” associated with COVID-19 is to let the individual out of self-isolation after 14 days. If an individual who tests positive is a health-care worker, he or she must have two negative tests, 24 hours apart.
