Prince Edward Island reported one new, travel-related case of COVID-19 Tuesday, which brings the number of active cases in the province to three. Since the pandemic began, P.E.I. has reported a total of 64 cases – all have been travel-related.
Dr. Heather Morrison, the Island’s chief public health officer, told reporters the case involves a woman in her 20s who is a rotational worker and who travelled outside the Atlantic region.
Morrison said the woman, who is in self-isolation and has mild symptoms, originally tested negative for the novel coronavirus but a follow-up test days later came back positive.
“A negative test reflects a single point in time only and does not guarantee that future tests will be negative,” Morrison said. “Testing does not replace self-isolation.”
In connection with the new case, Morrison said passengers on two Air Canada flights on Oct. 13 should self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested if they feel unwell.
The flights are AC162 from Edmonton to Toronto and AC7460 from Toronto to Charlottetown.
Last week, Morrison urged Islanders to avoid non-essential travel to two regions in New Brunswick – Moncton and Campbellton – that had been hard-hit by COVID-19 outbreaks.
Morrison noted Tuesday that health officials in New Brunswick are preparing to ease restrictions in the Moncton area on Thursday, following a decrease in infections there.
She asked people to follow public health measures if they travel outside P.E.I.
“What’s happened in New Brunswick in the last couple of weeks is a good reminder for all of us … that it’s important to wash our hands and put on a mask in indoor spaces and keep your six-foot distance wherever possible,” Morrison said.
Britain
London’s Heathrow Airport has launched a rapid coronavirus test service for selected passengers.
The pre-departure tests, which aim to provide results in an hour, will be offered to those flying to Hong Kong and Italy. The saliva swab costs £80 ($136) and can return results quickly because they don’t need to be sent to a laboratory.
Hong Kong and Italy are among destinations requiring travellers from Britain and other “high risk” countries to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result 72 hours before their departure.
Heathrow airport’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye says ultimately, the travel industry needs an international standard for pre-departure testing.
Greece
Greece’s prime minister has reversed a government decision to allow a limited number of fans back into soccer stadiums on the eve of a Champions League match between Greek club Olympiakos and Marseille.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the pilot plan would have “sent the wrong message to members of the public.”
The reversal came after the government announced late Monday that it would begin allowing fans back into stadiums, capping attendance at 10% capacity with a maximum attendance set at 3,500.
The plan was due to start with the Champions League match Wednesday when Olympiakos and Marseille meet in the Group C match at Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus, before being extended to other European and domestic matches.
Manchester City and Porto, which also meet Wednesday, are the other teams in the group.
Portugal
Portugal’s prime minister is backing down from his plan to make the government’s COVID-19 tracing app mandatory. Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in a television interview that the widely contested move, which was due to be voted on later this week in parliament, required further debate.
Portugal’s Stayaway COVID app has been downloaded 2.3 million times — just over one third of the government’s target. Costa’s plan for compulsory use was widely criticized as unworkable. Among other complaints, police said the measure was unenforceable, and legal experts said it was unconstitutional.
The Portuguese Parliament is expected on Friday to make the wearing of face masks mandatory outdoors.
Germany
A district in Germany’s Alpine southeastern corner is going into a de-facto lockdown Tuesday after reporting well above 200 new cases per 100,000 residents in a week, the highest level in a country that is still in better shape than many others in Europe.
Schools, restaurants and other facilities in the Berchtesgaden district, on the border with Austria, are being closed for 14 days. Hotels there are closed to tourists and residents can only leave their homes for good reason.
Other areas across Germany are considering less onerous new restrictions as infections rise. The national disease control centre said the country of 83 million people recorded 6,868 new cases over the past day — below the record of 7,830 on Saturday but considerably more than a week earlier.
Finland
The Finnish national carrier Finnair says it will cut 700 jobs – over 10% of its total workforce – by the end of March 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline based at the Helsinki Airport is heavily focused on Europe to Asia flights. It said Tuesday that some 600 of the cuts would be in Finland.
FInnair CEO Topi Manner said the job cuts are “necessary and inevitable. Finnair’s re-build requires us to be competitive when aviation gradually starts to recover. Therefore, in the future, we will have to do many things differently in order to succeed.”
Finnair has temporarily laid off a large part of its 6,500 staff and its flight traffic was down 91% in September from the previous year.
Ireland
Ireland’s government is putting the country at its highest level of coronavirus restrictions for six weeks in a bid to combat a rise in infections. Premier Micheal Martin said Monday the measures take effect at midnight Wednesday and run until Dec. 1.
People are being asked to stay at home, with exercise allowed only within a 5-kilometre (3-mile) radius of their home. Only essential stores can open. Restaurants and bars can provide only takeaway service. No social or family gatherings will be allowed in homes or private gardens, but schools will remain open to prioritize education.
Martin urged the country to “pull together” for six weeks so that the virus can be suppressed and people can still enjoy Christmas. Ireland has seen daily cases rising. It had 1,031 new confirmed cases Sunday and the death toll stands at 1,852.