HALIFAX – Nova Scotia is restricting all non-essential travel from most parts of Canada for the next month due to the high number of COVID-19 cases across the country.

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia is restricting all non-essential travel from most parts of Canada for the next month due to the high number of COVID-19 cases across the country.

The move also means another delay in the reopening of the Atlantic travel bubble, which was scheduled for April 19th but was recently postponed to May 3rd.

“That will clearly not happen with the reopening within four weeks,” Prime Minister Iain Rankin told reporters on Tuesday.

Rankin announced that starting Thursday at 8 a.m., people outside of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador will only be allowed to enter the province if their travel is essential or if they are permanent residents.

The Prime Minister also said Nova Scotians are being asked to stay in the province unless they have to travel to work. Rankin said the restrictions were necessary because travel-related COVID-19 cases were rising in his province.

“We have to be flexible and this time we have to take a step back,” he said.

Nova Scotia reported nine new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, including three related to travel outside the Atlantic. It now has 68 active reported infections and 39 cases have been identified as of Friday.

The Chief Medical Officer for Health, Dr. Robert Strang, expressed concern about a reported increase in travel from New Brunswickers to Nova Scotia, but had no numbers.

“Anyone who comes in, especially from other parts of the country that have high COVID-19 rates, is at high risk of contracting the virus themselves,” Strang said. “We have to do this (restrictions) to avoid the third wave.”

Individuals exempt from the travel rules include rotation workers, federally recognized foreign agency workers, post-secondary students coming to or returning to the province of Nova Scotia, and those traveling for legal proceedings.

The new restrictions also apply to anyone buying a home in the province. This means those who do business after April 21 will not be able to move until travel rules are relaxed. “We have to stop the influx of people coming to the province for non-essential reasons, including relocating,” said Strang.

The province said details are still being worked out on who will need to isolate after essential travel

Strang also noted that there are early signs of the virus spreading to the community in areas such as Halifax, Dartmouth, Lower Sackville and Lawrencetown, and urged all members of the public to undergo precautionary testing.

Meanwhile, Rankin said he had talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford last weekend about what Nova Scotia can do to help that province’s severe COVID-19 outbreak.

Rankin confirmed his province will not reallocate any part of its vaccine allocation, but said health officials are looking for resources that could be saved.

“I know we have ventilators available, but it’s a question of whether or not Ontario can use them,” he said.

Rankin said the province was considering calling retired nurses for help, although he added that there were no guarantees that the province would send anything.

Late Tuesday, the province announced two school-related cases in the Halifax area that were not included in the day’s case count. Dartmouth South Academy Elementary School and Auburn Drive High School will be closed for cleaning until next Monday.

This Canadian press report was first published on April 20, 2021.

Keith Doucette, the Canadian press