Today, the Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, met with the Honourable Lisa Dempster, MHA for Cartwright – L’Anse au Clair; Perry Trimper, MHA for Lake Melville; Jordan Brown, MHA for Labrador West; Lela Evans, MHA for Torngat Mountains; Chad Letto, Mayor of L’Anse au Clair; Fabian Benoit, Mayor of Labrador City; and Ron Barron, Mayor of Wabush to discuss easing travel restrictions between bordering communities of L’Anse-au-Clair, Blanc-Sablon, Fermont, and Labrador West.

Labrador community leaders were in agreement with the Provincial Government to open the southern Labrador-Quebec border and the border at Labrador West-Quebec to interprovincial travel amongst local communities. Residents are not required to self-isolate if they are asymptomatic and have not travelled outside Newfoundland and Labrador or Quebec in the previous 14 days.

The residents of Labrador City and Wabush, as well as the residents of Fermont, Quebec, will be permitted to travel between these three communities effective immediately. The border checkpoint will remain in place to monitor movement and allow access for residents from these communities only.

The Lower North Shore is also open to interprovincial travel. The checkpoint at this border will be lifted at the end of day today (Thursday, June 25).

Premier Ball wants to thank the community leaders of the affected towns in Labrador and Quebec for their cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These past few months have been tough as people have not been able to move freely between communities and reunite during the pandemic. Decisions, like moving into new alert levels in the province’s plan ‘NL Life with COVID-19’, and opening an Atlantic Bubble on July 3, 2020, are not taken lightly and are guided by our Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Government remains committed to working together to support economic and social recovery while ensuring the health and safety of all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. For further guidance on travel restrictions and our provincial plan ‘NL Life with COVID-19’, visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.

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Media contact
Jeremy Reynolds
Office of the Premier
709-729-3558
jeremyreynolds@gov.nl.ca