Nova Scotia Opens Atlantic Bubble…Except For New Brunswick
HALIFAX—Nova Scotia is lifting quarantine restrictions for people travelling from any Atlantic province except New Brunswick.
Premier Iain Rankin explained at a June 22 press briefing the province modified its scheduled opening plan after New Brunswick’s surprise Phase 2 announcement.
“Because New Brunswick opened up to the rest of the country, we are placing a modified restriction on anyone travelling in and out of that province,” Rankin said.
Last week, New Brunswick abruptly entered Phase 2 of its reopening plan. The province threw open its borders to travellers from Atlantic provinces, as well as people from the rest of Canada with at least one vaccine dose.
The move came ahead of the June 23 date Atlantic premiers had together set for opening the Atlantic Bubble. It also allowed in non-Atlantic Canadian travellers well before other provinces.
New Brunswick’s changes caught Rankin off guard. The premier told reporters the day after the announcement he found out about the new rules “the same time you did.”
He pointed out that the Atlantic provinces had agreed to reopen the Atlantic Bubble on June 23, based on Covid-19 epidemiology, and said he was “surprised that [New Brunswick’s] risk tolerance was different than that.”
Rankin said he and Dr. Robert Strang finalized their new border rules Tuesday.
“It’s regrettable that we have to have something place with New Brunswick… but we have to put safety first and I’m not going to take chances,” Rankin said.
Nova Scotia’s new set of travel restrictions will come into effect on June 23 at 8 a.m.
People travelling from Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador will be allowed to enter for any reason and will no longer have to self-isolate or complete the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form.
Anyone who came from those provinces who is currently isolating in Nova Scotia can also stop when the new rules come into effect.
People travelling from New Brunswick, meanwhile, can enter Nova Scotia for any reason but will have to self-isolate based on their vaccination status and testing. That includes Nova Scotians returning from New Brunswick.
People entering from New Brunswick must still complete the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form. They can provide proof of vaccination and get regular testing to have their quarantine periods reduced.
Along with opening its borders to Atlantic Canada on June 23, Nova Scotia will also open to the rest of Canada on June 30.
Initially, Canadians travelling into Nova Scotia will have to follow the same set of rules the province is currently applying to people coming from New Brunswick.
Complete information on Nova Scotia’s new border restrictions is available here.