COVID-19 pandemic in Prince Edward Island
<noinclude> The COVID-19 pandemic in Prince Edward Island is part of an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The Province of Prince Edward Island has the tenth-most cases of COVID-19 in Canada. Up until January 14, 2022, Prince Edward Island was the only province/territory that did not have any deaths due to COVID-19. On March 14, 2020, the first confirmed case in Prince Edward Island was announced, a woman in her 50s who had returned  from a trip on a cruise ship on March 7. By March 26, 2020, there were five cases, all of which had been travel related. As of March 30, 2022, Prince Edward Island has reported 25,800 confirmed cases of the virus and eighteen deaths. Timeline. On March 14, 2020, the first confirmed case in Prince Edward Island was announced, a woman in her 50s who had returned from a trip on a cruise ship on March 7. On March 16, 2020, the Premier of Prince Edward Island Dennis King announced that the provincial cabinet had declared a state of public  health emergency under the "Public Health Act". The declaration of emergency gave special powers to the Chief Public Health Officer of the province, who will be able to issue orders to refrain from attending any public gatherings, align resources to where they are needed most, and manage hospitals and other health care facilities and ambulance services. The Premier also announced that Cabinet had established a $25 million contingency fund, and was also exploring other options, such as monitoring supply chains, exploring compensation for childcare staff, and reducing government activities to reduce interaction with the public. On March 19, 2020 , PEI closed its liquor and cannabis stores. Due to concerns that this could impact those suffering from alcohol withdrawal syndrome, the province announced that it would begin to re-open its liquor stores on March 25. On March 21, 2020, all new arrivals to PEI were asked to self-isolate for two weeks, and screening of all travelers began at the Charlottetown Airport, Confederation Bridge, and the ferry terminal for the Magdalen Islands service from Souris. In June 2020, PEI premier Dennis King suggested that travel between provinces in the Atlantic region might be allowed, as early as the beginning  of July. King claimed there was an agreement to this end, in a discussion held on June 10 between the Premiers. When asked by the CBC, the other Premiers expressed caution on an Atlantic bubble." On July 3, 2020, P.E.I. joined three other Atlantic provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) and lifted travel restrictions among themselves to form the Atlantic bubble, allowing residents within the four Atlantic provinces to travel without self-isolating for 14 days. One day later on July 4, three new cases of COVID-19 were announced, the first three cases in months. On July  5, two more cases were reported. One more case was reported on July 9. On July 29, 2020, the Canadian Premier League announced that it would play a shortened 2020 season known as "The Island Games" at the University of Prince Edward Island, with all participants required to undergo self-isolation and testing before they were allowed to travel and play. On November 23, 2020, Premier King announced that Prince Edward Island is withdrawing from the Atlantic Bubble for a two-week period. On December 3, 2020, the withdrawal was extended until at least December 21, 2020. On February 26 , 2021, two new cases were identified with another three new cases on February 27, showing the sign of community spread. A full lockdown had been placed after 11 new cases over the weekend.On May 21, 2021, the 200th confirmed case of COVID-19 was confirmed in PEI. On June 16, 2021, Wayne Easter and Premier King announced upgrades to four education and active transportation infrastructure projects On June 21, 2021, it was announced residents of PEI do not need to upload information of vaccination for PEI pass. Cases remained relatively low throughout the Summer and Fall months. However, in late -December 2021, Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) began to experience a surge in COVID-19 cases, primarily caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Prince Edward Island's caseload quickly accelerated, and the province surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases on December 29, 2021, when health officials reported 129 new cases; a record-breaking, single-day increase in cases. This record was broken again on December 30, 2021, when officials reported 169 new cases, and on December 31, 2021, with 175 new cases. On January 2, 2022, officials reported 137 new COVID-19 cases since the last update on December 31, 2021. Officials reported 161  new cases on January 3, 2022. The province's active caseload stands at 995. Another record-breaking, single-day increase in cases was reported on January 4, 2022, with 198 new cases. The province surpassed 1,000 active cases, with 1,159 active province-wide. Premier Dennis King (politician) and Chief Medical Officer of Health Heather Morrison announced 222 new COVID-19 cases; smashing all previous-set records days before. The active caseload is at an all-time high, with officials reporting 1,378 active cases. There are three people in hospital due to COVID-19, including one in intensive care. Dr. Heather Morrison announced  on January 14, 2022, that Prince Edward Island is reporting its first two deaths related to COVID-19. One individual was between the ages of 60 and 79 years of age, and the other individual was over the age of 79 years. The province is also reporting 225 new COVID-19 and 195 recoveries, leaving 1,994 active cases. The province reported its third death due to COVID-19 on January 19, 2022, as well as 304 new COVID-19 cases. There are now ten people in hospital; a new high for Prince Edward Island. On February 23, 2022, Dr. Morrison announced a record-breaking  526 new COVID-19 cases. Premier King announced that Prince Edward Island's vaccine system will be terminated on February 28, 2022.