Nova Scotia announces gradual easing of COVID-19 rules, pay raise in long-term care
Photo credit: Communications Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia officials unveiled a plan Wednesday to lift COVID-19 restrictions and announced a pay raise for long-term care workers in an effort to boost capacity in a health system strained by the novel coronavirus. Beginning Monday, restrictions imposed in mid-December to help curb the spread of the Omicron variant will start to lift, Premier Tim Houston told reporters. The government’s reopening plan, he said, is in three phases. In Phase 1, the informal gathering limit will increase to 25 people from 10 people, while formal limits for events such as weddings, funerals and faith services will be allowed at 50 per cent capacity. All restrictions for domestic travellers will be lifted, while retail businesses and malls can operate at maximum capacity with physical distancing and masks. Restaurants and bars can operate at 75 per cent capacity instead of 50, with physical distancing and a limit of 25 people per table. Houston said gathering limits will be further increased under Phase 2 and will be removed altogether under Phase 3. Each phase is expected to last about a month, he said. Officials said throughout the first two phases, masks will be required in indoor public places and proof of full vaccination will be required for discretionary activities. Details of the restrictions in each phase are at: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-plan/
Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, said although the province had passed its peak in terms of the number of cases and hospital admissions during the Omicron wave, the health system is still under “tremendous pressure,” with bed occupancy at over 105 per cent. Houston said that as a result, his government needs to find ways to increase capacity by filling more vacant spaces in long-term care facilities. He said that’s only possible by attracting more continuing-care assistants to a profession that has been historically underpaid in Nova Scotia. The province said $65 million would be made available for increases that would take effect Thursday. It said wages for unionized and non-unionized continuing-care assistants at all levels in the public sector would increase by approximately 23 per cent. That would bring the top annual salary to $48,419 — an increase of close to $9,000.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia reported five more deaths attributed COVID-19 on Wednesday. Health officials said the latest deaths involved women ranging in age from 60 to 90. There have been 55 deaths since the start of the Omicron wave on Dec. 8. Officials said there were 91 people in hospital due to the disease, including 16 people in intensive care, after eight patients were admitted to hospital since Tuesday’s report and four were discharged. Another 276 patients who have COVID-19 were either admitted for other reasons or have contracted the disease in hospital.
Also Wednesday, health officials recommended booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine for youth aged 12 to 17 who are at higher risk of severe illness from an infection. The province said its latest recommendation followed guidance from late January by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which recommended booster doses for adolescents 12 to 17 who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. The national advisory group’s recommendations also apply to residents of congregate living settings, such as group homes, and to people in that age group who belong to racialized or marginalized communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. It said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is preferred as a booster for that age group. (The Canadian Press)
Updates from County Council
Municipality of Pictou County Council will be writing a letter to the provincial government over concerns about a lack of salting and sanding on Pictou County roads. Roads in rural Pictou County are maintained by the Nova Scotia government but councillors say they have received many calls from residents with concerns about their roads this winter.
Municipality of Pictou County Council has received a letter from the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library supporting a local homeless shelter that is seeking government funding to expand its capacity. Library Board chair Dan Currie says in the letter that all seven of its public libraries encounter and serve homeless persons daily and while it helps everyone, it believes that a better solution would be for Viola’s Place to receive funding to increase its hours and services. He says the board believes services offered by Viola’s Place during the day, combined with the library’s, will give the best chance for those in need to be safe and well.
N.B. fuel prices hits new record high
Gas prices in New Brunswick increased 4.5 cents per litre overnight to $1.589. Diesel jumped another 4.1 cents to $1.746 per litre. Nova Scotia sets its fuel prices at midnight tonight.
Emera wins approval to charge N.S. Power customers $1.7B for Maritime Link
Approval in a decision released Wednesday for Emera Inc. to recover $1.7 billion from Nova Scotia Power customers for the Maritime Link megaproject. The project is for the delivery of hydroelectricity from the Muskrat Falls hydro project in Labrador to Nova Scotia. Over a period of 35 years, Nova Scotia ratepayers will pay down the $1.7-billion, including a nine percent rate of return. (With files from CBC)
Canada faces some trade restrictions on poultry due to bird flu found in Nova Scotia
Canada’s food safety watchdog says the discovery of avian influenza in a commercial poultry flock in Nova Scotia has resulted in international trade restrictions on some Canadian poultry products. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the outbreak of high pathogenic H5N1 was reported last week to the World Organization for Animal Health. The agency says the detection has resulted in Canada’s animal health status being changed to say it is not free from avian influenza. South Korea and the Philippines have imposed restrictions on poultry products from all of Canada including live poultry, poultry meat and edible eggs. The United States, European Union, Taiwan, Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong have imposed restrictions on some products from Nova Scotia, or from the specific area of the province affected by the bird flu outbreak. Russia has imposed restrictions on poultry from both Nova Scotia and on Newfoundland and Labrador, where bird flu was also detected in January and December. (The Canadian Press)
