Traveller from U.S. tests positive for COVID-19

A man travelling from the United States who entered Nova Scotia last month tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the provincial Health Department said.

The man, who entered Canada on June 26, has been linked to three cases of COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island. (Initially the man was described as from the United States. It was later revealed he was a foreign national not from the U.S. who was studying in P.E.I.)

The government there has said a P.E.I. resident who visited Nova Scotia had been in close contact with someone who had recently travelled from the United States.

In an email Sunday, the Nova Scotia Health Department said public health officials made contact with the U.S. resident, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier Sunday. Nova Scotia is in the process of conducting contact tracing for this person.

“This individual does not reside in Nova Scotia but was passing through our province from the United States to Prince Edward Island," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, in the email.

"We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in PEI and with the federal government on follow-up of these linked cases. As this individual is still within the 14-day isolation period required by the federal Quarantine Act, they are now being quarantined under federal authority in Nova Scotia. We will be able to provide further information as contact tracing work continues.”

In a news release Sunday, the P.E.I. government said two new COVID-19 cases related to the student have been identified. Another case related to this person was reported on Saturday.

"The two additional cases are both men in their 20s and residents of PEI. They are both close contacts of one of the cases reported yesterday, an individual who travelled to Nova Scotia and came in contact with someone from the United States. Contact tracing is now underway for the two new cases."

Earlier Sunday, Nova Scotia reported that 441 tests conducted Saturday had turned up no new positive cases.

To date, Nova Scotia has 54,910 negative test results, 1,064 positive COVID-19 cases and 63 deaths.

Before the student's case was identified, there were three active cases in the province, all of them travel-related.

This was the first weekend of the Atlantic bubble, when Atlantic Canadians were allowed to visit other provinces in the region without having to self-isolate.

Anyone who has travelled outside of Atlantic Canada must self-isolate for 14 days, the release noted. And as always, any Nova Scotian who develops symptoms of acute respiratory illness should limit their contact with others until they feel better.

If you believe you have symptoms of COVID-19, go the Nova Scotia's 811 website to determine if you should call the 811 phone line.