New Brunswick officials will provide an update Monday afternoon as COVID-19 cases linked to two regional outbreaks continue to climb, leaving the province with 71 active cases.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer, and Education Minister Dominic Cardy will speak to reporters at 2:30 p.m. AT.
Both the Moncton region (Zone 1) and the Campbellton region (Zone 5) were forced back to the orange recovery phase on Friday.
That’s following an outbreak at the Manoir Notre-Dame special care home in Moncton, and a separate outbreak in the Campbellton region that remains under investigation.
The province announced 14 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday, all linked to the two outbreaks.
One of the new cases included the third confirmed at a school in the province, with the L.E. Reinsborough School in Dalhousie reporting a positive case.
There are now 37 active cases in the Moncton region, 30 active cases in the Campbellton region. There are also two active cases in the Fredericton region (Zone 3), and two active cases in the Saint John region (Zone 2).
Public Health has only confirmed community transmission for the Moncton outbreak.
New Brunswickers are advised to avoid all non-essential travel in and out of the orange zones.
The rise in cases has also prompted Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador to issue travel advisories for both regions of New Brunswick. Both provinces say they are closely monitoring the situation with the Atlantic travel bubble.
In response to multiple schools with a positive case, New Brunswick has rolled out tighter restrictions for schools in the orange regions.
3 schools have cases
Sugarloaf Senior High School in Campbellton and Académie Notre-Dame, another elementary school in Dalhousie, have each announced one case of COVID-19.
Mask use will now be required — both indoors and outdoors — for all students in grades K-12 at schools in the Campbellton and Moncton health regions.
Exceptions will be made for physical education, and while students are eating or working alone quietly at their desk. Those with medical reasons will also be exempt.
All school sports and extracurricular activities are now cancelled.
Orange phase restrictions
Masks are now mandatory in all indoor and outdoor public places in the orange zones, as part of tighter restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Public Health says those who already entered the Campbellton or Moncton regions for the holiday weekend should observe all orange-level requirements for 14 days after returning home.
Those guidelines include limiting contacts to a two-household bubble, avoiding gatherings, wearing a mask at all indoor and outdoor public places, and being vigilant in self-monitoring and getting tested if they develop symptoms.
Outdoor gatherings must be limited to 10 people or fewer, while some indoor events, including weddings, funerals and religious services, are permitted with 10 or fewer.
Close contact personal services including barbers, spas, and hairstylists have closed under orange level restrictions.
Gyms, fitness facilities and recreational centres, casinos, amusement centres, bingo halls, arcades, cinemas and large live performance venues are also closed.
Russell said the source of the outbreak in the Manoir Notre-Dame is “associated with travel,” while the source of the Campbellton cases is under investigation.
Public Health has found no indication of a link between the Moncton outbreak and 30 active cases in the Campbellton region, but contact tracing is ongoing. At least one case is travel-related.
New Brunswick conducted 766 tests Saturday for a total of 84,847. There have been 272 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick since the start of the pandemic. There have been two deaths and 199 people have recovered.
