Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court upholds province's COVID-19 travel ban

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- A Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court judge has upheld the province's pandemic travel restrictions.

Halifax resident Kimberly Taylor sued the Newfoundland and Labrador government after she was initially denied an exemption to the province's travel ban after her mother's death in St. John's in May.

Taylor argued that the province overstepped its authority and violated her constitutional rights.

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In a ruling issued today, Justice Donald Burrage agreed that Taylor's right to mobility was infringed but said the infringement was justified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taylor was later allowed into the province, but she has said the decision came too late to allow her to grieve properly and comfort her father.

In July, Newfoundland and Labrador relaxed its travel ban and allowed residents of other Atlantic provinces to enter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2020.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.