As COVID rages in Canada, Atlantic provinces set model to follow

Experts say strong leadership and quick, decisive action in Atlantic Canada helped region stem spread of the virus.

Halifax, Canada – As Canada grapples with a devastating third wave of COVID-19, the country’s eastern region stands as an oasis of normalcy, with case numbers dwindling and many of the most onerous restrictions now lifted. While the four Atlantic provinces have only around 200 active cases combined, the national hotspot of Ontario has surpassed 30,000, with new infections being detected daily in record numbers. The provinces of Alberta and Quebec are also in the throes of a severe third wave, each with more than 10,000 active cases, and British Columbia follows close behind. Beyond the sparsely populated territories of northern Canada, where COVID-19 has been all but eliminated, the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador are being hailed as a unique success story.