Close to 200 people have been given approval to travel to P.E.I. for compassionate reasons, according to numbers released by the province.
All non-essential travel into P.E.I. is prohibited during the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic, and peace officers are authorized to turn people away when they attempt to enter without meeting the criteria.
Essential, according to the Department of Justice and Safety, means "services that the interruption of which would endanger the life, health or personal safety of the whole or part of the population".
Non-essential services, the department adds, mean "those not providing food supplies, health, financial support or utilities and when not offered to the public will not impact life, health or personal safety".
Still, exceptions may – and have been – made on compassionate grounds.
To date, there have been about 180 approved compassionate requests to come to P.E.I., says a department spokeswoman.
“With any compassionate requests, government officials from Public Health, Emergency Measures and various departments work closely together to review these applications to enter P.E.I.," she says.
“As each situation is different, the information and supporting documents provided are reviewed on a case-by-case basis."
The spokeswoman acknowledges there are many reasons people want to come to Prince Edward Island. However, she adds, chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison has indicated one of the greatest risks of spreading COVID-19 into P.E.I. is how it enters the province.
“For this reason, there have been measures put into place at the points of entry and a pre-travel approval process to help potential travellers understand what is and isn’t allowed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of the province," she says.
More than 10,000 inquiries have been made regarding travel to P.E.I., resulting in about 3,500 cases being reviewed individually. Roughly five per cent of the cases have been made on compassionate basis.
The Guardian recently highlighted a request made to travel to P.E.I. on compassionate grounds that was rejected. The case involves a couple from Newfoundland looking to bring their grandson to P.E.I. to reunite with his mother.
