Changes to COVID-19 testing for close contacts; Step 2 of Moving On plan begins March 17

Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, has announced new changes to COVID-19 testing requirements in Prince Edward Island. 

“We have been fortunate in PEI to have had great access to testing during this pandemic.  At this stage in the response we need to ensure our testing resources are targeted appropriately.

Effective immediately, the eligibility criteria for testing at Health PEI clinics for close contacts and individuals with symptoms will now change. These changes focus testing on those at higher risk of severe outcomes and those who live in, work in or access vulnerable settings.

If you have symptoms and know you had close contact with a positive case, assume you are positive for COVID-19.”
-  Dr. Heather Morrison. 

The following changes to testing are effective immediately (Tuesday, March 8):

Test if you are: 

• Symptomatic and have no known exposure to COVID-19.
• Symptomatic and work or live in a high risk setting* or are at higher risk for severe COVID outcomes**.

You do not need to be tested if: 

• You are a symptomatic close contact with a known exposure to COVID-19 and are not high risk for serious outcomes**, you can assume you are positive and do not need to get tested. 
• You are a close contact but have no symptoms, unless you work or live in a high risk setting*.  

* High risk settings include residents of long-term care and community care facilities, health care workers, first responders, staff and residents of shelters and transition houses, homeless population, correctional staff and offenders, inpatients in mental health & addictions facilities, members of First Nations communities, essential workers approved for the “Test-to-Stay” policy.

** Over the age of 50 years, anyone with underlying medical conditions including immune compromised, pregnant or under the age of 5.

“The Moving On Plan is a guide to help the province transition out of COVID-19, it does not mean the pandemic is over but it signals that we are changing and adapting  how we live with this virus,” said Dr. Morrison. “We will be ready to respond to COVID-19, prepared to manage outbreaks in high risk settings, adjust vaccine recommendations and conduct surveillance and monitoring.”

Step 2 of the Moving On Plan will begin on Thursday, March 17 at 12:01 am with the following changes in place:

• Personal gatherings of 20 people indoors and 50 people outdoors;
• Organized gatherings of up to 75% capacity, with space being maximized to allow for as much physical distancing as possible;
• Fitness facilities, retail, museums, casinos and libraries up to 75% capacity;
• Wedding receptions, funeral receptions and stand up receptions of up to 100 people;
• Organized sport and recreation activities with a maximum of 100 participants interacting over the course of a day; and
• Universal screening at the points of entry will continue and we will transition to random testing of people entering PEI. 

Regular rapid antigen screening for schools and early learning childcare settings will continue until the end of March, providing an extra layer or protection in those settings. 

Children should continue to be tested using their supply of rapid antigen screening test kits during March Break (Sunday, March 13; Friday, March 18; and Sunday, March 20). 

Families who plan to travel over March Break are encouraged to be vigilant and travel as safely as possible: wearing masks, monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 and arranging to be tested if feeling unwell. 

When students and staff return to class on March 21, the following changes will be in effect: 

• Cohorts in K to 9 will increase to 100; and 
• Schools will no longer contact close contacts of positive cases; everyone should actively monitor for symptoms.

Parents will be asked to continue to report positive cases to the school and masking will continue to be required.

As of 8:00 am this morning, Tuesday, March 8, there are 704 new cases of COVID-19.

There are currently 4,596 active cases of COVID-19 and there have been 18,328cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Over the last seven days there have been an average of 506 cases per day. 

Update on the locations of current outbreaks in high-risk settings:

• Long Term Care Facilities (two facilities with outbreaks):
  • Garden Home
  • Summerset Manor 
• Early Learning and Child Care Centres:
  • 42 centres with cases or outbreaks of COVID-19
  • 27 centres open
  • Five centre closed
  • Ten centres operating at a modified or reduced capacity

As of Sunday, March 6, 97.3 per cent of Island residents over the age of 12 years received at least one dose of vaccine and 94.1 per cent were fully vaccinated. 69.5 per cent of children ages 5 to 11 had one dose of vaccine and 41 per cent have two doses. Over 40,000 people age 12 and over are eligible for their third dose and have not yet received it. 

Anyone 12 years of age and older can get their COVID-19 vaccination – first and second dose – at a Health PEI vaccination clinic or at one of the many partner pharmacies across the province. Booster doses are also being offered at clinics and partner pharmacies to those 18 years of age and older who received their second dose five and a half months earlier.  Island children 5 to 11 years of age can receive their COVID-19 vaccine at a Health PEI vaccination clinic.

Individuals who are isolating and require supports are encouraged to dial 2-1-1 to be directed to nearby community support systems, or provincial government service offices.  This assistance includes help with securing food, personal prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and other emergency situations. The program operates on a self-referral basis.  More information is available here. 

For information on PEI’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, including vaccine facts, immunization data and booking an appointment, visit: COVID-19 Vaccines. For answers to commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccines, visit: Answers to Common COVID-19 Vaccine Questions.

Backgrounder: 
 
The Chief Public Health Office continues to work closely with the federal government, provincial and territorial counterparts, government departments and Health PEI to monitor the pandemic situation and prepare for all COVID-19 related impacts to the province, including health, social and economic. The public health risk of COVID-19 is continually reassessed, and Islanders will be updated as new information becomes available.

Everyone is encouraged to follow routine prevention measures:

• Get vaccinated
• Wear a properly fitted, three-layer mask in indoor public places and in outdoor public places where physical distancing from others cannot be maintained
• Keep your circle of contacts small
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue
• Stay home if you are not feeling well
• Limit touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Physical distance - stay two meters (6 feet) apart
• Don’t share items like drinking glasses and water bottles
•  Frequently clean surfaces like taps, doorknobs and countertops
• Visit a drop-in-clinic to be tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms
   

Media Contacts:

Samantha Hughes
Health and Wellness
(902) 316-1323
shughes@gov.pe.ca