Technology solution to Atlantic bubble traffic problems coming soon, says Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety will launch in the coming days days a "technology-enabled solution" to the Atlantic bubble traffic problems that saw vehicles from Nova Scotia waved through a border checkpoint Friday without any of the planned COVID-19 screening or collection of traveller details, says a spokesperson.

It will "help speed up traffic flow," said Coreen Enos.

She did not provide any other details but did reveal a clue.

"Until the new technology is fully implemented," she said, "travellers entering New Brunswick can help speed up the process by printing and filling out the roadside questionnaire and having it ready when they arrive at the border."

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Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart has said the new system will 'expedite things at the border.'

Prince Edward Island has an online self-declaration form visitors from the other three Atlantic provinces must submit at least a day before their scheduled arrival in order to enter. They must also print a copy of their completed form and bring it with them. 

"People arriving in New Brunswick are screened at the border. They are asked to show their proof of residency, answer questions about their health and recent travel history and provide their contact information," Urquhart had said in an emailed statement.

"Currently, all of this information is recorded manually. We are working towards the implementation of a new system that will assist travellers coming into New Brunswick and will expedite things at the border."

The department has been sharing details about the solution with its colleagues in the other Atlantic provinces, said Enos.

Many questions remain unanswered

Enos and other government spokespersons did not answer most questions related to the apparent lack of readiness for the long lineup of vehicles trying to enter New Brunswick at Aulac on Friday, the first day of the Atlantic bubble.

The four Atlantic provinces have opened up their borders to each other, allowing people to travel in the region for  non-essential reasons without having to self-isolate for 14 days after crossing a provincial boundary.

Before the bubble opened, Premier Blaine Higgs said his government was prepared for the additional traffic and promised that checkpoints at the P.E.I. and Nova Scotia borders would be adequately staffed.

A spokesperson for Higgs said he was not available Monday to talk about what went wrong and suggested a reporter try Tuesday.

Last Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart told CBC News the province would be moving away from a manual system and details would be available soon.

New Brunswick has had checkpoints at its Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Quebec borders since March 25. The Atlantic bubble was portrayed as a big step in recovery after much of the economy was shut down because of the coronavirus.

For the bubble, New Brunswick's plan was to ask for proof of Atlantic residency, a filled-out health questionnaire from each vehicle, and traveller details that could be used for contact tracing if a COVID-19 outbreak occurred.

The Department of Public Safety confirmed Friday night that for safety reasons, officers began at 3:45 p.m. to let vehicles into New Brunswick without checking on anything.

"This continued until congestion no longer represented a safety concern," Shawn Berry said, without providing a time.

More than 17,000 vehicles entered the province that day, including 9,100 at Aulac, according to the government's dashboard of COVID-19-related statistics. 

It's unclear if the vehicles that were waved through were included in the statistics. The Public Safety spokesperson would not estimate how many vehicles were let through without stopping, explain why things didn't work at the border that day, or what safety concern the long lineup posed. 

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Premier Blaine Higgs was unavailable Monday for an interview about the border problems.

"Overall this weekend, travel proceeded smoothly," Enos said in an emailed statement.

"Very heavy traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway at the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia border meant some delays at times in both directions," she said.

"When the lineup got long enough to pose a safety concern, vehicles from Atlantic Canada were allowed to enter without being checked. The normal process resumed when it was safe to do so."

Earlier, another spokesperson for the department said Nova Scotia took similar action when lineups got too long.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have different rules for what happens at the border.

Improvements underway

Some improvements have since been made, said Enos.

New Brunswick vehicles, commercial traffic and daily commuters with work passes, as well as those with a Prince Edward Island travel permit, are being "expedited" as they enter New Brunswick from Nova Scotia, she said without elaborating.

Public Safety has also been working with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to change the physical layout of screening points to "improve traffic flow.

"We made some changes over the weekend and we expect to make more this week," Enos said. She did not describe the changes.

Risk is 'very low'

The province's chief medical officer of health did not respond to questions about what Public Health is doing now that border protocol has been broken.

"We understand that over the weekend with the implementation of the Atlantic Bubble there was an influx of vehicles and some exceptions were made to ensure traffic safety," Dr. Jennifer Russell said in an emailed statement.

"While the risk in this region is very low, Atlantic Canadians should be self-monitoring at all times, including on vacation, and should call 811 or their primary health-care provider should symptoms occur."

It's been almost two weeks since New Brunswick Public Health recorded any new cases of COVID-19 in the province.

As of Monday, there is still one active case in the Campbellton region, also known as Zone 5, but no one in hospital with the respiratory disease, according to the government website.

The last time New Brunswick recorded a new case of COVID-19 was on June 23.

As of Monday, there are four active cases in Nova Scotia, five in Prince Edward Island and none in Newfoundland. 

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