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PEI Premier Dennis King says the public health emergency has been extended until June 14 on the advice of the chief public health office.Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

Prince Edward Island has extended its state of emergency, while announcing new rules to allow people with seasonal cottages to head to the Island.

Premier Dennis King says the public health emergency has been extended until June 14 on the advice of the chief public health office.

King also announced that people wanting to travel to seasonal residences will have to submit an application beginning June 1, and those will be put through a risk assessment before approval.

He says the assessment will consider the location applicants are travelling from and the state of COVID-19 infection in that area.

Other factors – including how people are travelling to the Island, their plan for a two-week self-isolation once they arrive, and their plan to be supported while in self-isolation – will also be looked at.

King says as an added layer of safety, seasonal residents will be tested for COVID-19 before the completion of their self-isolation.

Under a plan for a staggered and organized process, King said, the first arrivals could occur around June 15.

King also said that beginning Monday, the Island would move into the third phase of its reopening plan, which will allow such things as in-house dining at restaurants, small groups to participate in recreational and some sporting activities and libraries to reopen.

As well, family and friends will be allowed to visit residents at long-term care homes. The visits will be by appointment only and must take place outdoors.

Dr. Heather Morrison, the province’s chief public health officer, reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The last positive case on the Island was reported April 28.

All 27 of the province’s confirmed cases have recovered from the virus.

Scott Gottlieb says we will be better prepared for a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, but a spike in new cases may also arrive at a time when other seasonal illness circulate. The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2017 and 2019 adds that Sweden leads Europe in coronavirus deaths despite attempts at herd immunity.

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