Atlantic Not Immune to COVID Second Wave
Whoever thought COVID-19 was under control in the Atlantic Bubble, think again.
With eight new cases revealed in Friday testing, Nova Scotia has 33 active cases. That pales beside New Brunswick which reported a record 23 cases today giving the neighbouring province 71 in all. Even Newfoundland has 18 cases, a far cry from just a few months ago when they reported no new cases for weeks at a time.
Nova Scotia’s latest news from the Central Health Zone says two cases are linked to previously announced infections, but more disturbing is the admission that six cases continue to be investigated which implies the virus is spreading within the community.
Nova Scotia Health has been issuing daily warnings, sometimes more than one per day, of potential exposure sites. The list is growing and includes everyday locations such as grocery stores, restaurants, bars, fitness clubs and retail stores in an ever-widening area around the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Premier Stephen McNeil says, “These increasing case numbers tell us we need to follow public health protocols to get back on track, especially in the greater Halifax area.”
Two Halifax schools have been closed as all students and staff self-isolate for 14 days following positive tests among a few students.
The chief medical officer echoes the premier’s concern. Dr. Robert Strang says, “This is the single largest jump in COVID-19 cases we have seen in our province in recent months. It is critical that we all do our part to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
Unlike the first wave of the pandemic when Nova Scotia imposed restrictions province-wide, this wave is being handled within the area of the local outbreaks.
New restrictions in much of HRM and parts of Hants County come into effect Monday. The restrictions can be found at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/county-restrictions/.
Perhaps it is a good time to avoid the Halifax region while that community deals with increasing infections and uncertainty over their source.
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