Whether the private ferry from Campobello to Deer Island runs this winter apparently depends on an American government decision over border restrictions. East Coast Ferries intends to make the final run for the season between the two Fundy islands on September 30, but New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says the ferry might run longer if President Joe Biden's administration does not ease restrictions on Canadians travelling through the United States for purposes deemed nonessential.
      The province subsidized East Coast Ferries to continue the Campobello/Deer Island run through last winter because of Canadian and American rules aimed at fighting COVID 19, complicating life for people who normally travel to and from Campobello Island by crossing the bridge to Lubec, crossing Washington County to Calais, then crossing another bridge to St. Stephen -- crossing the border four times to make a round trip. In the summer, Campobello motorists can take the ferry to Deer Island, then drive to the provincial government's ferry to the Canadian mainland at Letete below St. George.
      Canada eased its rules effective August 9, allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter Canada for nonessential purposes provided they get tested for COVID 19 beforehand, register with the ArriveCAN app or web portal and meet other requirements. The United States government has yet to reciprocate, despite pressure from many American politicians and others. "It really escapes me as why the U.S. thinks we're a risk to their population, because it seems that, really, it is the other way around," Higgs said in a livestreamed update on COVID 19.
      Last month, the Biden administration announced that restrictions in place since March 2020 would continue for another month to September 21 -- so Higgs and many others will watch for word from the Department of Homeland Security in the days ahead on whether the United States will ease restrictions on nonessential travel or keep them in place into the fall.
      "We want to see activity in the U.S. so that Campobello residents can move freely through Maine back into New Brunswick as they always have done over generations," Higgs said in a livestreamed update from Fredericton on COVID 19.
      Any decision on extending the seasonal ferry will depend on restrictions on Canadian travel through Maine, Higgs says. "We will assess that situation with Maine, and my hope is that, by the time the ferry season ends, that we will have free movement back and forth as we have enjoyed for many years," he says.
      The New Brunswick premier, meanwhile, worries about whether he will be able to cross the border even if the United States eases restrictions -- because he rolled up his sleeve twice for shots of AstraZeneca vaccine, approved in Canada but not the United States. "I'm wondering if I will ever be able to drive across," he said, but he noted that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "is in the same boat, I guess."
      On September 7 New Brunswick reported that an individual in his or her 70s in Zone 1 -- Moncton region -- died of COVID 19, bringing the total deaths to 47 since the pandemic started. The province reported 54 new cases and the same number of recoveries over the Labour Day weekend, leaving the total of active cases at 125, including seven in Zone 2 of which Charlotte County forms a part. As of September 7, the province reported 2,852 cases including 336 in Zone 2 since the pandemic began. There were four people in hospital with COVID 19 on September 7 including three in intensive care units.
      The rate of vaccination continues to creep upwards in New Brunswick, reaching 85.1% of eligible population 12 and older -- 75.6% of census population -- with one shot, and 76.2% of eligible population -- 67.7% of total population -- with both shots as of September 7. Both Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick chief medical officer of health, and Canada's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Theresa Tam urge people yet to get vaccinated to do so to bring the "fourth wave" of COVID 19 under control, especially with schools opening and the fall and winter approaching.