COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, June 19

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King is distancing his administration from a statement made by one of his Atlantic colleagues Friday, as the four provinces continue to haggle over whether, when or how to open their borders, and to whom.

Addressing a question on the topic at a media conference Friday morning, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said that after opening their borders to one another, the four premiers are "all aligned that we hope to expand across the country in mid-July, sometime in July."

Statistics Canada released the dismal results of the retail sector for April on Friday, but P.E.I. retailers are open again and looking forward to a brighter future.

P.E.I. correctional officials say noinmates sent home from jail wearing electronic ankle bracelets during the COVID-19 pandemic have reoffended.

A P.E.I. couple has been trying to get home from Mexico since April, but they are facing repeated flight cancellations.

Students will be back in school this fall. A CBC special report investigatedhow schools have been preparing.

Stores on P.E.I. are still struggling to keep some items in stock.

P.E.I. has had 27 confirmed cases, the most recent on April 28. All of have recovered. About 9,100 COVID-19 tests from P.E.I. have been done.

Also in the news

• In an interview onCBC News: Compass, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said more details are being worked out for Phase 4 of P.E.I.'s ease-back plan, scheduled to start next Friday, June 26.
• A P.E.I. pastor was disappointed to find a nasty note on her windshield telling her to go back to the mainland. Her car has Nova Scotia plates.
• Island lobster fishermen are asking for a four-day extension to their season. The pandemic delayed the start of the season by two weeks.Temporary foreign workers from Mexico are continuing to arrive on P.E.I., despite that country's concerns about deaths from COVID-19 in Ontario.
• The provincial budget has been released and the P.E.I. government is projecting the biggest budget deficit in its historyas spending increasedduring pandemic.
• The projecteddeficit by the Conservative governmentcomes in at $173 million, leaving mixed feelings among Greens and Liberals.

Further resources

• Here isinformation for livingwith the COVID-19 pandemic on P.E.I. including information on government relief programs, physical distancing measures, andessential health services.
• Here is acharttracking COVID-19 numbers and a timeline of COVID-19-related events on P.E.I.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.