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Gyms closed, no in-person dining as tough restrictions come into effect in Halifax area – CTV News Atlantic

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HALIFAX —
Starting Thursday, most Halifax and Hants County residents won’t be able to dine at their favourite restaurant or work out at the gym, and they could see lineups at their local grocery store.

At 12:01 a.m., the Nova Scotia government implemented sweeping measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

The measures will see the end of in-person dining at restaurants, while public libraries, museums, gyms, yoga studios and casinos will close in parts of Halifax and Hants County.

On Thursday, the province reported 114 active cases of the novel coronavirus, with most cases confirmed among people between the ages of 18 and 35 in the Central Zone.

After months of low case numbers, Nova Scotia has seen a spike in cases this month, with 148 cases of COVID-19 recorded since Nov. 1. 

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang recently confirmed there is community spread in the Halifax area, and Nova Scotia Health has issued a number of advisories this month, warning of potential exposures at dozens of locations in the region — mostly restaurants and some gyms.

As a result, the province has introduced the tough restrictions in an attempt to curb the rise in COVID-19 infections.

“New restrictions have come into effect today in much of Halifax Regional Municipality and parts of Hants County to help us to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Premier Stephen McNeil in a news release.

“Please make yourself familiar with the new restrictions. We all have a responsibility to follow public health measures and keep each other safe.”

Patrick Sullivan, CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, believes the province has struck a good balance with the latest lockdown.

“I think we’re definitely concerned some businesses may not be able to survive a second lockdown,” said Sullivan. “However, if we can get through this quickly, if everyone jumps on board and we have the massive testing that we seem to be having now, and if people slow down their social activities, hopefully we can get out of this relatively unscathed.”

HOW WILL THE RESTRICTIONS AFFECT ME?

As of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the following measures will apply for two weeks in the western and central Halifax areas, which the province defines as HRM from Hubbards to, and including, Porters Lake and communities up to Elmsdale and Mount Uniacke in Hants County:

  • The gathering limit in public is five, or up to the number of members of an immediate family in a household.
  • Face masks must be worn in common areas of multi-unit residential buildings, such as apartment buildings and condos.
  • Restaurants and licensed establishments are closed for in-person dining. They may still provide takeout and delivery.
  • Retail stores must restrict shoppers and staff to 25 per cent or less of allowable capacity.
  • Wineries, breweries and distilleries cannot hold tastings or in-person dining and must follow retail rules in their stores. Delivery and curbside pickup are allowed.
  • Organized sports, recreational, athletic, arts and cultural activities and faith-based activities are paused.
  • Profit and non-profit fitness and recreational facilities are closed.
  • Libraries and museums are closed. This includes the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
  • The casino and First Nations gaming establishments are closed.
  • Stronger enforcement of illegal gatherings. Each person who attends an illegal gathering could be fined $1,000.

The restrictions will continue for two weeks until midnight Dec. 9, but they could be extended.

Staff, volunteers and designated caregivers at long-term care facilities in HRM will undergo voluntary, bi-weekly testing, starting Friday.

Schools, after-school programs and childcare will remain open. Certain personal service businesses, such as hairstylists, estheticians and nail salons, in western and central HRM can continue, except for procedures that cannot be done while a patron is wearing a mask.

NEW RESTRICTIONS ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA

As of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the following new restrictions apply across Nova Scotia, in all zones:

  • No visitors, except for volunteers and designated caregivers, will be allowed in long-term care facilities, adult residential centres and regional rehabilitation centres licensed by the Department of Community Services.
  • Sports teams are restricted to local or regional play only.

NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

Nova Scotians are being urged to avoid non-essential travel in and out of the western and central Halifax Regional Municipality.

They are also being asked to avoid travelling to other Atlantic provinces for non-essential reasons.

PROVINCE OFFERS GRANT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES

The province is offering a one-time grant of up to $5,000 to support businesses in HRM and Hants County that have been ordered to close under the new restrictions.

The grant will support small, independently owned dine-in restaurants, bars, and fitness and leisure establishments affected by the new measures.

“I don’t think it’s going to be the solution that’s going to have people feeling easy, but it will certainly cover some of their overhead during these next couple weeks,” said Nova Scotia Business Minister Geoff MacLellan.

Businesses must be in operation as of March 15, 2020 and have total annual sales of between $25,000 and $300,000

Eligible businesses will receive a one-time grant of 15 per cent of their average monthly gross revenues for April 2019, or from February 2020 if it is a new business, up to a maximum of $5,000.

Businesses must experience a revenue decrease of 30 per cent or more in November as a result of the public health order or expect at least a 30 per cent decrease in revenues in December 2020 resulting from the new measures put in place this week. 

The grant can be used for any operational expense such as wages, supplies and other costs.

This program is funded through the Nova Scotia COVID-19 Response Council with the program funds of $50 million announced in March. 

The application process will open in the coming weeks.

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Netflix’s subscriber growth slows as gains from password-sharing crackdown subside

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Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.

The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.

Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.

The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.

The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.

The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.

The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.

Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.

In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.

“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.

As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.

Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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