Nova Scotia has announced it is tightening border restrictions with New Brunswick following the outbreak of cases in that province.
As of 8 a.m. on Jan. 9, everyone coming into the province from New Brunswick will have to self-isolate for 14 days. There are exceptions for those who are crossing the border due to work, a medical appointment, child custody arrangements or legal reasons.
“What we are saying is, do not go to New Brunswick,” Premier Stephen McNeil said in Friday’s news conference, adding that the numbers will be monitored to determine when the restrictions can be lifted.
“I feel for New Brunswick and wish them nothing but good luck.”
There has been a surge of cases in New Brunswick this week, with the province hitting a single-day record of 31 new cases on Wednesday. Twenty-four new cases were identified in New Brunswick on Thursday and 18 more on Friday.
Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I. and New Brunswick have all imposed isolation rules for all out-of-province travellers since the Atlantic bubble burst in November.
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People coming from New Brunswick must fill out an online check-in form before arriving in Nova Scotia.
McNeil said the land border would look similar to the first wave, where there is a separate line for essential service providers. Everyone else will be required to stop and identify where they are going.
Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said on Friday that people coming from P.E.I. and N.L. do not have to isolate when they come to Nova Scotia.
For those coming to Nova Scotia from P.E.I. via New Brunswick, he said they must drive straight through.
“You need to drive directly. Do not stop for food or gas in New Brunswick,” Strang said.
Nova Scotians who have had visitors from New Brunswick in the last 14 days should get tested immediately, Strang said. Those people should also consider a second test 5 to 7 days later.
Any Nova Scotians who visited New Brunswick in the past two weeks should also get tested and they must self-isolate while they await their first test result. Those who had visitors from New Brunswick do not have to quarantine while they wait for their result.
Any specialized workers from New Brunswick doing “critical urgent work” that cannot be done by anyone from the other Atlantic provinces can enter Nova Scotia to do their work, but otherwise must self-isolate.
Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang at the COVID-19 update on Jan. 8, 2021. (Communications Nova Scotia)
Most restrictions remain in place until Jan. 24
The province is also renewing its state of emergency starting at noon on Jan. 10 and lasting until noon on Jan. 24. Most of the current province-wide restrictions will remain in place for another two weeks.
“Keeping things as they are for at least two more weeks will really give us a chance to see the impact of the holidays,” Strang said adding they will continue to be cautious throughout January.
These include:
Gathering limits of 10 in your home and in the community.
Restaurants and bars stopping service by 10 p.m. and closing by 11 p.m.
Fitness facilities must operate at 50 per cent capacity and must have three metres between people for high-intensity activities, including indoor and outdoor fitness classes.
There is a maximum of 25 people for sports practices and arts rehearsals. Games, tournaments or performances are not permitted.
Social events, festivals, arts and cultural events and sports events are not allowed.
Faith gatherings, weddings and funerals can have 150 people outdoors and 50 per cent of an indoor venue’s capacity to a maximum of 100. Wedding and funeral receptions are not permitted.
There are also some easing of restrictions:
Retail businesses and malls may increase the number of customers to 50 per cent from 25 per cent capacity.
The Halifax casino, VLTs and First Nations gaming establishments can reopen.
The Halifax and Sydney casinos must follow the guidelines for licensed establishments, which includes stopping service by 10 p.m. and closing by 11 p.m. The First Nations establishments can open their regular hours since they are not licensed to serve alcohol.
Strang also reminded people about the importance of wearing masks when three metres of distance cannot be maintained, including in outdoor spaces.
He also said that applies to people who receive home care and anyone else in the home who is in close proximity to the home care worker.
2 new cases on Friday
Nova Scotia is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
One case is in the eastern health zone and the other in the central zone. Both cases are related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada and the people are self-isolating.
There are now 29 active cases in the province. No one is in hospital in Nova Scotia related to the virus.
Strang said on Friday that there is no sign of the COVID-19 variant appearing in Nova Scotia, but one case was sent off for testing. He said travel-related cases will automatically be tested for the variant.
Nova Scotia labs completed 1,831 tests on Thursday.
Between Jan. 3-7, there were 558 rapid tests administered at pop-up sites in Halifax.
New guidelines for music education come into effect in Nova Scotia on Monday. (Kirk Fraser/CBC News)
Public schools to reopen as planned
Schools in Nova Scotia will reopen on Monday. The evening use of school gyms for sport and community activities can resume, as long as public health orders are followed.
As well starting Monday, there will be new guidelines for music education that will allow singing and playing instruments in a modified way.
Strang said that includes making sure physical distancing is in place, limiting the time playing and the number of students in class.
He said people raised legitimate concerns about sports and arts being allowed, but not music.
But Strang said any sports or arts activities that involve connections between schools are not resuming right now.
University testing IDs 2 COVID cases
The province is also urging post-secondary students who have returned to Nova Scotia from outside of the Atlantic provinces to book a COVID-19 test on the sixth, seventh or eighth day of their isolation, regardless if they have symptoms.
Strang said two positive COVID cases have already been found through this testing stream, which highlights its importance.
“Doing this testing along with sticking with your quarantine will make a difference in keeping our communities safe,” he said.
Students coming from New Brunswick should check with their school about any potential changes in residence accommodations related to self-isolation.
A technician places rapid COVID-19 swabs into a test tube container on Nov. 24 at Dalhousie University in Halifax. There are currently 29 active cases in the province. (Robert Short/CBC)
The appointments can be booked up to three days in advance.
Students must have self-isolated for the full two weeks even with a negative test result. They may not attend in-person classes until they have completed their isolation.
Any students experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 need to complete a self-assessment online or call 811.
No cases at Jamieson Hall
Shannex reported no new cases at Jamieson Hall, an assisted-living community in Dartmouth, N.S., after an outbreak last month.
“We are pleased to report that all resident testing at Jamieson Hall conducted earlier this week has been returned negative. One employee case was reported on December 24, 2020,” Shannex said in a release Friday.
Retesting has not revealed any additional cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 days, according to the release, and Public Health has directed that residents are no longer required to isolate in their suites. Visitors can return with precautions in place.
Atlantic Canada case numbers
The latest COVID-19 numbers from the Atlantic provinces are:
Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases on Friday. There are nine active cases and one person is in hospital.
New Brunswick reported 18 new cases on Friday with 143 active cases. Every zone of the province has been rolled back to the orange phase to deal with the growing number of cases.
P.E.I. reported one new case on Thursday and currently has eight active cases.
It’s common knowledge that companies don’t hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost.
Since most job seekers know the above, I’m surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they’ll contribute to an employer’s success.
Employers don’t hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results.
You’re not offering anything tangible when you claim:
I’m a great communicator.
I’m detail oriented.
I’m a team player.
Tangible:
“At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers.”
“For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget.”
“While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings.”
These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice.
Getting hired isn’t based on “I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales,” “I’ve been a web designer for over 15 years,” “I’m young, beautiful and energetic,” blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn’t based on “I’m overqualified,” “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you’ll serve a purpose.
When you articulate a solid value offer, the “blah, blah, blah” doesn’t matter. Job seekers focus too much on the “blah, blah, blah,” and when not hired, they say, “It’s not me, it’s…” The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the “blah, blah, blah”—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience.
Not impressive: Education
Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results.
You aren’t who you say you are; you are what you do.
If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words.
The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don’t be like most job seekers, someone who’s all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a “good game” about everything they can “supposedly” do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it.
More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you’re looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition.
Increase sales: “Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I’m confident that I can increase BioGen’s sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025.”
Reduce cost: “During my 12 years as Taco Town’s head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House.”
Increase customer satisfaction:“During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin’s net promoter score.”
Save time: “As Zap Delivery’s dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy’s Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more.”
If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that’s evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you’ll make to the employer.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
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.
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