Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

Atlantic Canada against lifting quarantine rules: survey

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Aug, 2020 08:07 PM
  • Atlantic Canada against lifting quarantine rules: survey

A new survey indicates Atlantic Canada is largely opposed to lifting travel restrictions for Canadians who live outside the region.

More than 3,300 Atlantic Canadians participated in the Narrative Research online survey between Aug. 5-9. The results, published Thursday, indicate more than three-quarters of respondents were opposed to lifting 14-day quarantine requirements for visitors from the rest of Canada within the next month.

COVID-19 numbers have remained low across the four provinces this summer. In July, Atlantic Canada created the so-called travel "bubble," which waived the 14-day self-isolation rules for residents of the region who enter into Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Margaret Brigley, CEO of Halifax-based Narrative Research, said measures to suppress the novel coronavirus have paid off and put the region in an "enviable position," but the survey results, she added, show Atlantic Canadians are uncomfortable with the perceived risks of accepting more visitors.

"Findings suggest that residents are not confident that safety measures in place would protect us from a viral spread if borders were to open," Brigley said Thursday in a statement.

Opposition to opening up the travel bubble was highest in Nova Scotia, at 80 per cent.

Eighty-eight per cent of Atlantic Canadians completely oppose opening Canadian borders to the United States within the next month. Seventy-nine per cent of respondents said they had not left their home provinces since Atlantic Canada created the travel bubble.

Prince Edward Islanders were most likely to have travelled within the Atlantic region, at 38 per cent, while Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were the least likely, at seven per cent.

People who had travelled within the Atlantic bubble were more likely under the age of 55 and higher income earners. Of those who travelled, 87 per cent said they were satisfied with the arrangements by the region's provincial governments.

The survey does not have a margin of error because it used a non-probabilistic sample of respondents.

MORE National ARTICLES

Manitoba classrooms to reopen Sept. 8

Manitoba classrooms to reopen Sept. 8
The Manitoba government says most students are to be back in classrooms on Sept. 8, but there will be new guidelines to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Manitoba classrooms to reopen Sept. 8

PM knew WE deal would face scrutiny

PM knew WE deal would face scrutiny
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says when he first learned the public service had proposed WE Charity to run the Canada Student Service Grant he pushed back, knowing it would come under scrutiny.

PM knew WE deal would face scrutiny

Supreme Court will hear Quebec comedian's case

Supreme Court will hear Quebec comedian's case
The Supreme Court of Canada has decided to hear the appeal of Quebec comedian Mike Ward in a human-rights case that touches on the limits of artistic expression and the role of the country's human rights tribunals.

Supreme Court will hear Quebec comedian's case

N.B. woman found after almost two weeks missing

N.B. woman found after almost two weeks missing
A New Brunswick woman says she was able to survive in woods in the northeast of the province for nearly two weeks by drinking rainwater from puddles and eating wild berries.

N.B. woman found after almost two weeks missing

Airports begin screening for temperatures

Airports begin screening for temperatures
Four major Canadian airports will begin taking passengers' temperatures starting today as part of the effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Airports begin screening for temperatures

Few regrets for Toronto's 1st Black police chief

Few regrets for Toronto's 1st Black police chief
Ask the outgoing head of the country's largest municipal police force about defunding or cuts to its $1-billion budget, and the response reflects typical disdain for what he views as sloganeering in response to complex problems.

Few regrets for Toronto's 1st Black police chief