Cottagers Pose Threat to Cumberland Communities
The provincial medical officer of health is urging people with cottages or summer residences to pick one place to live and stay there during the COVID lockdown.
Dr. Robert Strang says people should not travel between two homes, putting people in both communities at risk.
Without realizing it, Dr. Strang addressed an issue that arose earlier today in Cumberland County, residents began recognizing new faces especially in coastal communities along the Bay of Fundy and Northumberland shore.
A politician and a doctor heard reports of cottage owners showing up from other communities in what has traditionally been the ‘summer move’ over the May long weekend.
The doctor called Six Rivers News to ask about travel restrictions under the current COVID guidelines. The physician had witnessed a number of people known as ‘seasonal residents’ and he grew concerned that people were disregarding public health.
The doctor had been advised to call the RCMP but he was concerned about possible repercussions against those who made such calls.
He said, “Calling the police might pit one neighbour against another.” He added, “Storekeepers would be very reluctant to report customers, and yet those visitors are breaking the law and putting others in danger.”
It should be noted that reports to the police, especially through Crime Stoppers, can be anonymous and the RCMP are not obliged to disclose the identity of anyone reporting possible offenders.
Police forces in several areas of the province have become quite aggressive in pursuit of those breaking the emergency health rules and the tickets they issue carry fines just over $2,400.
All this on a backdrop of today’s announcement that two more people have died from COVID, eighty-three new cases were revealed, community spread is now confirmed in the Eastern Zone as well as Central, and people between 20 and 30 years of age are now the principal targets of the latest COVID variant.
Clearly, the issues and circumstances of the third wave are quite different and people should be more fearful than a year ago.
As of today, Nova Scotia has 1,262 active cases of COVID-19. There are 101 people in hospital, including 20 in ICU.
In keeping with the numbers, the province extended the current public health restrictions until at least the second week of June. Further, the premier announced that schools will not reopen this year as all education programs will be completed through at-home learning for all public and private schools.
Premier Iain Rankin said, “We are making progress with decreasing our case numbers, but that progress is slower than we would like.” He added, “In order to get back to more normal living this summer, I'm asking Nova Scotians to stick with our restrictions a little longer, get vaccinated as soon as you can and stay close to home. That includes limiting your activities for the long weekend.”
People can go to their cottage or seasonal campsite outside their community but only if they are staying there for the season. They cannot go back and forth between these places and their primary residence.
Provincial park campgrounds are currently closed. Private campgrounds can only be open for seasonal campers. No short-term camping is allowed at this time.
One concession to recent rules allows permanent residents of Nova Scotia to come home. They will not have to wait for approval when they apply to enter the province via the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in. They will receive an automatic conditional approval, but still must show proof of permanent residency at the border.
Rotational workers need to do the full application process for their first trip back to Nova Scotia. They will be asked for documentation showing they are a rotational worker and the name and location of their worksite. For each subsequent trip, they will get approval faster because they will have been already confirmed as rotational workers.
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