As Island society continues to debate the best ways to move forward to open up our communities and to reinvigorate the economy in the face of COVID-19, we needn't dismiss common sense and compassion in the process. It seems the province, while not perfect in this regard, hasn't forgotten that fact.
A case in point is the situation facing Abigail Henriques, a licensed practical nurse in P.E.I.
The 32-year-old mother moved to Prince Edward Island in October of 2017, having accepted a term position in her chosen profession in Charlottetown. While she works here during the pandemic, her eight-year-old son, Ruben, has been waiting with her parents — Dr. Rick van Gelder and Christa van Gelder — back home in Newfoundland.
With our borders closed to all but essential travel, Henrique’s chances of seeing her son looked bleak. It has been more than four months since the young mother has seen her boy; the longest the pair have ever been apart.
Ruben, who is autistic, is safe with his grandparents, a pediatrician and a retired teacher who have the special skills to provide the care he needs. Like any child, however, Ruban should be with his mother here in P.E.I.
Problems for the family began in April, when the van Gelders applied to bring Ruben, a registered resident of the province with a P.E.I. health card, to the Island.
His grandparents, who are not Island residents, had proposed returning Ruben to his mother and parking their travel trailer next to her home in Belfast. They would then spend 14 days self-isolating. Rick would eventually return to Newfoundland to continue working, but Christa would stay here to help Abigail care for Ruben.
Having initially refused the request, it seems health officials here have had a change of heart.
The province is not wrong to continue enforcing strict rules at our borders, especially in the face of a global pandemic, but at the same time there must be a plan for cases with special circumstances like Ruben’s.
With the reversal, it appears health officials are listening after all.
Last week, the province reported that about 180 requests for travel to P.E.I. have been approved on compassionate grounds.
While the greatest risk of spreading COVID-19 into P.E.I. continues to be travel from outside the province, it's good to see that, when necessary, common sense can still prevail.
More than 10,000 inquiries have been made regarding travel to P.E.I., resulting in about 3,500 cases being reviewed individually. Roughly five per cent of the cases have been made on a compassionate basis.
Officials here need to remain diligent in deciding who comes and goes, fortunately for Ruben and Abigail, their situation has been resolved correctly.
