COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, Oct. 9

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison discouraged Islanders from travelling to Moncton this Thanksgiving weekend, as Moncton and Campbellton movedto try to contain a new spate of COVID-19 cases.

The number ofIslanders who either have jobs or are looking for one continued to fall in September, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force survey. The number of jobs in theeconomy also fell for the first time since April.

The P.E.I. Command of the Royal Canadian Legion says there will be fewer volunteers selling poppies in person this year due to COVID-19 but they still hope to raise as much money as ever.

UPEIsaid it will host Thanksgiving dinner for students unable to travel home for the holidays, after university officials urged students not to travel outside the Atlantic bubble.

Retailers report sales of fall bulbs on P.E.I. have been brisk, perhaps as people continue to focus on beautifying their surroundings at home during the pandemic.

Prices for P.E.I. tuna have plummeted by as much as 50 per cent as restaurant demand has fallen this fall, fishermen say.

And the idea of a pandemic bubble between the Atlantic provinces andNorthwestTerritories is being floated, but P.E.I. and Noca Scotia say they're not considering it right now.

There have been 61confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Island, with 58 considered recovered. There have been no hospitalizations or deaths, and there is no evidence of community spread.

Also in the news

• The COVID Alert app became available on P.E.I. Thursday.
• COVID-19 outbreak could prompt changes to the Atlantic bubble,Morrison says.
• Politicalparties differ in their approach to door-knocking during byelection during the pandemic.
• Full-contact hockey will be part of the new normal on P.E.I.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially challenging and "scary" for Island residents with intellectual and physical disabilities, says the executive director of the P.E.I. Council of People with Disabilities.
• Starting Thursday, travellers wereno longer being screened by New Brunswick officials at the Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia borders

Further resources

• Here isinformation for livingwith the COVID-19 pandemic on P.E.I. including information on government relief programs, physical distancing measures, and essential health services.
• Here is achart tracking COVID-19 numbers and a timeline of COVID-19-related events on P.E.I.
• Here isa guide onwhat parents and students need to knowabout attending school.

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