 | This article needs to be updated. (October 2022) |
| Atlantic Bubble | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Special travel-restricted area |
| Location | New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Created |
|
| Populations | 2,441,141 (2020 Q4 estimate) |
| Government |
|
The Atlantic Bubble (French: Bulle de déplacement des provinces de l'Atlantique) was a special travel-restricted area created on July 3, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The area was an agreement between the four Atlantic Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador which allowed unrestricted travel among provincial residents and restricted travel from Canadians who were residents of outside provinces. Residents wishing to travel to the Atlantic Bubble were subjected to screening and were required to quarantine for 14 days before moving freely throughout the bubble. Individual provinces had specific rules toward travellers from outside of Atlantic Canada. The provinces in the bubble saw the lowest numbers of COVID-19 compared to other Canadian provinces throughout the pandemic.[1]
The area was suspended on November 26, 2020, due to a second wave of COVID-19 cases across Canada. The Council of Atlantic Premiers confirmed the bubble would resume April 19, 2021,[2] but later postponed the date to May 3, 2021, due to an increase in cases due to the third wave of the virus.[3] Following a travel ban on outside travellers in PEI and Nova Scotia, the reopening date was postponed indefinitely.[4] In late May 2021, plans for the reopening of the bubble were announced by some of the provinces, with various possible reopening dates.[5][6][7] However, each province had their own reopening plans which included allowing travel from outside the Atlantic region and no consensus was reached between the four provinces.[8]
Following mass-vaccinations across the country, the Atlantic Bubble had a reiteration in June 2021. Free travel was reopened between the provinces generally speaking, with the exception of Prince Edward Island, who required at least partial vaccination (one-dose) to enter the province. Each province had their own rules on outside travellers from other provinces in Canada - fully vaccinated travellers (both-doses) were allowed to enter each province freely without quarantine.[9] This system continued until COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in Canada on October 1st 2022.[10]
- ^ Grimes, Jolene. "COVID Cases in Atlantic Bubble Remain Low as Cases Grow Across Canada".
- ^ "Atlantic Bubble 2 Begins Mid-April".
- ^ "PEI Pandemic Briefing".
- ^ "Atlantic bubble 'clearly not going to happen' by May 3, says premier". HalifaxToday.ca.
- ^ "P.E.I. will let in Atlantic Canadians with at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine on June 27". Global News.
- ^ "N.B. will no longer require self-isolation for travellers within Atlantic Canada except N.S. starting June 7 | Watch News Videos Online". Global News.
- ^ "Nova Scotia could see Atlantic bubble return Canada Day". HalifaxToday.ca.
- ^ Morse, B. Jack. "Premier says he's given up on the Atlantic bubble".
- ^ "What you need to know as a modified Atlantic Bubble opens | Globalnews.ca". Global News.
- ^ Canada, Public Health Agency of (2021-05-14). "Canada's COVID-19 border measures data". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-20.