Prince Edward Island has 5 new COVID-19 cases, all essential workers

P.E.I. has five new cases of COVID-19, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said Wednesday in an unscheduled news briefing.

The five cases bring P.E.I.'s total to 41. The 36 previous cases have all recovered.

The five new cases are essential workers not in the health care field who travelled to P.E.I. on July 30 from outside Canada. They did not travel from the United States, Morrison added.

They all work in same industry, and all are men in their 30s and 40s. They have been in self-isolation since their arrivaland aredoing well, she said. They will remain in isolation until they have been cleared by the Public Health Office following negative tests at some point in the future.

"They have had very few, if any, contacts," Morrison said.

Crucial to stay vigilant

The cases are not related to the Canadian Premier League soccer teams that arrived on the Island this past weekend, the Atlantic bubble or seasonal residents, she said.

Morrison said there is no indication of community transmission, and she doesn't expect the new cases will have any impact on back-to-school plans.

She said it's important to remain vigilant with COVID-19 health measures.

"Although these new cases are not unexpected, this is not the news I want to share with Islanders on this beautiful day," she said.

"I remain especially concerned about people coming to P.E.I. from outside of Canada. We know the prevalence of COVID-19 continues to rise in some countries."

Further resources

• Here isinformation for livingwith the COVID-19 pandemic on P.E.I. including information on government relief programs, physical distancing measures, and essential health services.
• Here is achart tracking COVID-19 numbers and a timeline of COVID-19-related events on P.E.I.

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