Nova Scotia’s premier says he is going to try for an agreement with other Atlantic bubble members on opening the province to the rest of the country, but he is not beholden to them.
Stephen McNeil says he is proud of the collaboration between the Atlantic premiers.
However, McNeil says each province can choose if they will remove 14-day isolation requirements for non-bubble travellers.
“If we can achieve and land on a date together that’s great,” he says. “If not, we as a province will assess our own decision about how we, and when we, open up to the rest of Canada.”
McNeil says other Atlantic provinces do not have the right to stop visitors, people who need to isolate are already travelling through other Atlantic provinces to get here.
He says that flow would not be stopped if the province reopened before the rest of the bubble.
“They would still come through the same way they have been,” he says. “So, it’s possible, but I want to continue to have the conversation with my Atlantic partners.”
McNeil says he does not want to undermine the good work they have done in controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Still, he says he would not wait for the other bubble provinces to reopen before allowing visitors into the province without isolating.
“I owe them the courtesy and respect to have that conversation,” he says. “When it comes to opening up to the rest of the country ”
McNeil says that discussion will not stop him from making the decision that is best for his province.
