After announcing that all but two of P.E.I.’s coronavirus cases are considered to have recovered, the province’s chief public health officer spoke about easing public health restrictions on Monday, but provided few specifics of when these might occur.
Dr. Heather Morrison also said her office had begun talks about easing restrictions during a media briefing on Saturday.
"I certainly feel like everybody else on P.E.I. It would be nice to know when exactly those public health measures would be [relaxed]. The other provinces are also talking about what that could look like,” Morrison said on Monday afternoon.
"The disease is at different stages across the country."
But Morrison said the coronavirus pandemic remains a serious public health threat and cautioned against a false sense of security on P.E.I.
"If we are following public health measures — self-isolating after travel, staying home as much as possible, practicing physical distancing when we're out, it will make a difference,” Morrison said.
“And so let's keep doing that."
Marion Dowling, Health P.E.I. chief of nursing, also provided some words of cautious optimism during Monday’s briefing, thanking Islanders who have practiced physical distancing.
"What you're doing is making a difference and is stopping the spread of this virus,” Dowling said.
“While we plan and prepare for a worst-case scenario, we are hopeful that, following the advice and orders set forth by Dr. Morrison, and public health measures, we can flatten the curve. And we have been preventing the further spread of this virus on P.E.I."
P.E.I. has been the only province to date with no hospitalizations due to the coronavirus. Both P.E.I. and New Brunswick are alone amongst Canadian provinces as the only regions to have no deaths related to COVID-19. All three territories have also recorded no fatalities due to the virus. P.E.I. has thusfar experienced no known cases of community transmission.
Morrison also confirmed 23 of the 25 individuals who tested positive with the virus on P.E.I. are considered to have recovered. All cases have so far been related to travel outside P.E.I.
Other provinces are still experiencing rapid growth in new cases of the virus, with Ontario and Quebec having recorded a combined total of almost 1,132 new cases as of Monday. Nova Scotia experienced its third COVID-19 related death on Monday.
Morrison also addressed the delay of P.E.I.’s recreational fishing season, announced late last week. Morrison said her office would consider opening the season when it was deemed safe.
"I do not believe we are comfortable saying this is over yet when we're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic,” Morrison said.
“We're all facing challenges at this time. People are unable to work. Children who are not at school have not seen their friends."