Yahoo Finance Argentia ferry run delayed until at least July 4
Marine Atlantic's Argentia service has been pushed back almost three weeks, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and high case counts in Nova Scotia.
The route, which runs from Argentia, N.L., to North Sydney, N.S., was supposed to start June 16 but is now scheduled to begin July 4, the company said in a media release on Friday.
The transportation agency cited "the uncertainty regarding the commencement of the Atlantic bubble and provincial travel restrictions."
Customers can get a refund, pick an alternative travel date, or move to a crossing on the Port aux Basques run.
"Please do not hesitate to contact our customer relations department and we will do everything we can to meet their needs. We thank customers for their patience and understanding as we continue to deal with the uncertainties of COVID-19," said Murray Hupam, president and CEO of Marine Atlantic, in a media release.
The situation for travel among Atlantic provinces is much different now from even just a couple of months ago. Premiers in the Atlantic provinces had an early May target for the reopening of the Atlantic bubble, which would allow travellers to all four provinces to not having to isolate. However, Newfoundland and Labrador's participation was conditional, as it was coming off a spike in cases in February driven by a COVID-19 variant.
While the province managed to get its situation with the virus back under control, Nova Scotia is now in the throes of its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. As of Thursday, that province had 1,572 active cases of COVID-19, with 85 people in hospital, 15 in intensive care.
Nova Scotia has also closed its border to all non-essential travel.
