Travelling/Leaving PEI over the Holiday Break
Dear students,
We are very fortunate to be on PEI, where there have been no community spread and very few cases of COVID-19. We are Panther proud of what you have been doing in order to keep our UPEI community safe: in some cases, self-isolating and being tested for COVID-19; wearing masks; and remaining in small groups. As we head into the final stretch of the 2020 Fall Academic Semester, let’s keep up the good work!
As we near the Christmas break and the 2021 Winter Academic Semester, it is understandable that those of you currently on Prince Edward Island may be considering travelling out of the Atlantic region to visit family and friends over the holidays. However, due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in other areas of the country, leaving the Atlantic region may increase your risk of infection and the risk of infecting others. We strongly encourage you to remain on PEI or within the Atlantic bubble (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and PEI). We know this is a difficult decision, but it will ensure that you do not face any barriers when returning to PEI and to your studies at UPEI.
If you are a student currently living on PEI and do decide to travel outside Atlantic Canada, you will be subject to PEI public health regulations, including self-isolating for 14 days upon your return, at your own expense. You must have a pre-travel plan approved by the PEI Chief Public Health Office in advance of returning, or risk being denied entry to the province. If you are travelling outside Atlantic Canada and plan to return to PEI, please Request a Pre-Travel Enrolment Confirmation now. More information about UPEI’s self-isolation plan for students who indicate they will be returning from outside Atlantic Canada will provided to them in the coming weeks.
We ask that when you do gather with family and/or friends, please do so in small groups and follow current PEI public health guidance for gatherings.
If you have any questions about travelling off-Island, please email registrar@upei.ca.
Sincerely,
Associate Vice-President of Students and Registrar
University of Prince Edward Island
(Information about the 2021 Winter Academic Semester was issued in a message on September 25, 2020, but details on how specific programs will be delivered, faculty by faculty, will be posted to the upei.ca website in November.)
