LATEST ON COVID CASE EXPLOSION IN NOVA SCOTIA – UPDATED AT 5:55 PM TUESDAY
There’ve been 37 new coronavirus infections in the latest provincial update, with one of those cases in the part of Colchester-Hants that’s closest to the Halifax Central zone, and one a student in the Annapolis Valley. That student was not in class yesterday and Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning is now closed for deep-cleaning for the rest of this week.
Despite that, and two school cases in Halifax County last week, Doctor Robert Strang says none of three cases affecting Nova Scotia students occurred inside the schools themselves.
Strang also says Halifax restaurant owners urging a shutdown of their own industry this week are saying “We’re taking the pain because we known we’re part of a larger community.” Strang says applying tight restrictions early makes good economic sense.
New restrictions for a 2-week period starting at 12:01 AM this Thursday, Nov 26th will mean:
- All bars and restaurants in the Halifax area will be restricted to take-out only for two weeks, starting Thursday night at midnight
- All Halifax-area retailers will be limited to 25 per cent of their normal maximum number of shoppers
- People are being told not to travel to Halifax if you live outside that health zone for anything that’s non-urgent, and vise-versa for people thinking of leaving Halifax for the more rural health zones
- The province-wide idea of travelling outside a local zone to play sports is now restricted to play just within your local or regional area, and there is no longer any extracurricular non-sports activity between any 2 or more schools across the province
- If you live in Halifax and see gatherings of more than 5 people, authorities want you to call police, and if the gatherings contain more than 10 people who aren’t social distancing outside of the Halifax area, you’re also being asked to call police
- The maximum fine for disobeying the 5-person gathering rules in Halifax and the 10-person rules for the rest of us is now $1,000 per person, a huge increase from the previous $1,000 per gathering
- wineries, distilleries and breweries cannot hold tastings or in-person dining and must follow retail rules in their stores (delivery and curbside pickup allowed)
— organized sports, recreational, athletic, arts and cultural activities, faith-based activities are paused
— profit and non-profit fitness and recreational facilities closed
— libraries and museums are closed, including the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
— the casino and First Nations gaming establishments are closed
— stronger enforcement of illegal gatherings, including ticketing of all attendees (total fine of $1,000)Schools, after-school programs and childcare will remain open while certain personal services businesses such as hairstylists, estheticians and nail salons in western and central HRM can continue except procedures that cannot be done while a patron is masked.
The following new restrictions apply across the province:
— to protect our most vulnerable, there will be no visitors except volunteers and designated caregivers to long-term care facilities and Adult Residential Centres and Regional Rehabilitation Centres licensed by the Department of Community Services
— sports teams are restricted to local or regional play only
— no extracurricular activities between schoolsTo further protect our most vulnerable, staff, volunteers and designated caregivers at long-term facilities in HRM will undergo voluntary, bi-weekly testing. Testing will be phased-in starting Nov. 27.
“COVID-19 loves social and group activities because it can spread quickly and easily,” says Dr. Strang. “These measures are targeted to reduce the situations in which COVID-19 thrives. Go to work or go to school, then go home and stay there. One family member can shop for necessities. It will likely get worse before it gets better so don’t falter in following public health measures.”
NS WOMAN TAKES ON HOSPITAL CLERKS’ EMPLOYER AS A CLASS ACTION SUIT AFFECTING NEW GLASGOW, HALIFAX AND KENTVILLE
A Hammonds Plains woman, Carla Munroe wants to be the voice in the courtroom for all Nova Scotians after a female clerk snooped on her medical files and a total of 60 other patients in that area. Plaintiffs’ records show 211 other files have been improperly viewed by clerks in New Glasgow and Kentville, and Munroe says it’s time to go to court and make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Munroe’s class action suit has been filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court against the employer, Nova Scotia Health.
ATLANTIC BUBBLE TAKES A TWO-WEEK BREAK AS NOVA SCOTIA, NB CASES SPIKE –
DR. STRANG SAYS MORE TO COME THIS WEEK ON STRINGENT RULES
There have been 27 new coronavirus infections across Nova Scotia in the past three days of reports. Eleven of those cases were announced yesterday, with all of them in the Central Health Zone. The news means there are now 51 active COVID-19 infections across Nova Scotia.
Doctor Robert Strang says most of the people infected lately are between the ages of 18 and 35, so expect some information about a possible set of bar and restaurant restrictions in the Halifax region this week. Strang says he wants people living in Halifax to stay there as COVID grows worse, and for Nova Scotians living outside the Halifax area, Strang says don’t venture into the city unless it’s absolutely necessary. The latest locations in Halifax where people may have been exposed to COVID-19 are listed here.
Meanwhile, 32-thousand new computers have been paid for by the province to boost at-home learning for Nova Scotia students. Education Minister Zach Churchill says the new computers should be delivered and ready for use next month. The idea follows the shutdown of two schools in the Dartmouth area last week, and serious clampdowns on public gatherings yesterday in Halifax, parts of the Eastern Shore and a section of Hants County.
In case you missed it yesterday…
None of us will be able to go to PEI for a period of 2 weeks for anything deemed to be “non-essential travel.” PEI Premier Dennis King says the Atlantic Bubble is being suspended for that time-frame as Coronavirus caseloads rise here in Nova Scotia and in New Brunswick.
Newfoundland will leave the Atlantic Bubble tomorrow, so it appears that protective regional bubble is now broken, after successfully working for this region since it was set up on July 3rd.
NS LOBSTER SHIPPERS BREATHING EASIER WITH BRITISH TRADE DEAL
There’s relief now that Canada has signed a temporary trade deal with Britain. A number of goods from our region are high on the sales list to Britain, and that includes lobster. So harvesters here in the province are breathing a sigh of relief. The deal is necessary because Britain is leaving the European Union trading block in the new year.
TRUMP RELUCTANTLY OPENS THE DOOR TO BIDEN TAKEOVER
Three weeks after clinching electoral victory, President-elect Joe Biden can finally start his formal transition to the White House.
The General Services Administration or G-S-A has formally acknowledged Biden as the apparent winner of the 2020 presidential election, allowing his team to get working on the logistics of the transition, with President Donald Trump announcing the move in a tweet last night. By law, the president-elect is now able to access money and federal agencies to plan staffing until the G-S-A formally recognizes him as the winner. (Cdn Press Photo)
WAIT FOR A LETTER IF YOU EVENTUALLY NEED TO REPAY CERB, SAYS OTTAWA
The Canada Revenue Agency says it’s warning about 213,000 Canadians who may have been paid twice through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program that they could be called upon to repay the money. But the agency says repayment isn’t required right away. The CRA has suspended collection of debts for the duration of the pandemic emergency, which, in case you needed a reminder, is continuing as a national COVID emergency. Ottawa is sending people letters, and in case scammers pick up on the idea and start calling you, just hang up on those phone calls and wait for an official letter, which gives you until next year to make payment.
NS CHRISTMAS TREE SALES LOOKING GOOD THIS YEAR
Sales of home-grown Nova Scotia Christmas trees are way up. The President of the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers’ Association says increasing numbers of trees are being shipped this fall to Ontario and the U-S. Andrew Krauss says sales agents are having a real problem filling new orders for shipments outside the province. But predictions are that supplies will be adequate here in Nova Scotia over the next few weeks for the usual Christmas tree sales yards that pop up ahead of the Christmas holidays. Anecdotal evidence from U-Cut tree lots in Nova Scotia over this past weekend shows people showing up early, in case COVID-19 grows more severe in the weeks ahead. (WITH FILES FROM CBC)
A sports note this morning for Maritime Hockey League fans that without the Summerside Western Capitals, the schedule will be changing, and we’ll be advising hockey fans again about that as games get closer. (Summerside is now absent from the league because of PEI pulling out of the Atlantic Bubble this week)
