New Brunswick's travel bubble with Quebec shrinks again

The New Brunswick travel bubble will get even smaller Friday, when most of the Avignon Municipal Regional County in Quebec, which borders Campbellton, is removed.

Now residents from only two communities in the region, Listuguj First Nation and Pointe--la-Croix, will be allowed into New Brunswick without having to self-isolate.

This change comes a week after New Brunswickrestricted travel from the Tmiscouata Municipal Regional County, which borders the Edmundston area.

Both theTmiscouataand Avignon regions formed a travel bubble with New Brunswick on Aug. 1, but now people from most parts of these two regions must have an essential reason for travel to get into the province and mustself-isolate for 14 days.

During the most of the minorbubble this summer, residents from both counties were allowed to enter the province on day trips as long as they registered beforehand.

The New Brunswick government said all previously approved travel registrations from the region, including Listuguj First Nation and Pointe--la-Croix, will no longer be valid as of noon on Friday "except for multi-day registrations approved for the transportation of elementary and secondary students and those issued for work, medical care and childcare/child custody."

But Listuguj and Pointe--la-Croixresidents will still be exempt from the ban on unnecessary border crossings.

In a statement posted on the province's website Premier Blaine Higgs said, "the recent rise of confirmed cases and a change in the alert status in the Avignon Municipal Regional County has prompted this action."

"There are currently no confirmed cases in Listuguj First Nation or Pointe--la-Croix."

Quebec has issued a Level 2 alert for theAvignon Municipal Regional County, which the province says "is required as soon as transmission of the virus starts to grow."

Higgs said the province is working with the two communities to ensure residents are only travelling within their communities and the Campbellton region.