STELLARTON PIZZA RESTAURANT ON LIST OF COVID RISK LOCATIONS
Andre’s Pizza on South Foord Street in Stellarton has been added to the potential COVID exposure notifications list, which also includes some New Glasgow locations this month, and is found here: http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-exposures. Anyone there one week ago, on December 10th and the next day, Friday, the 11th, is asked to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
The Coronavirus risk took place between 2:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the 10th, and between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m on the 11th If you were at Andre’s Pizza on those dates, you could develop COVID symptoms up to and including, Dec. 25th.
BIG CHANGES COMING FOR HOLIDAY VISITING, SHOPPING AND LIFE IN GENERAL ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA
If you have Christmas plans that would normally include visiting more than one house, that’s officially off the list this year. And your Christmas bubble needs to be a consistent group of 10. In other words, those ten people cannot change during the entire Christmas and New Year’s period. Dr. Robert Strang says we need to give each other the gift of health, so he and the Premier have set up a rigid set of rules that will need to be followed through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. It all boils down to consistency in visiting rules, and limits on people inside. It took Strang about half an hour to read that list of rules yesterday, but they cover everything from shopping to wearing masks in a gym or health spa, to no more than 10 people in a house, and limiting business occupancy generally restricted to no more than 25 per cent of normal, province-wide. Since it’s such a long list, we’ve put up all the news rules in a special page on our website. That list is repeated at the bottom of the following separate news stories. (File Photo)
The latest case-count for COVID 19 across Nova Scotia shows we’re far from winning the battle, but we’re improving a bit. There are four new infections across the province, and all are in the Halifax-Central Health Zone. Public Health says there are no provincial hospital beds currently in use by COVID patients.
ANY Nova Scotian who doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms still has today and tomorrow to get tested. The deadline to book an appointment has been extended to until the end of day tomorrow, by visiting https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/
GAS PRICES RISE SLIGHTLY IN NEW BRUNSWICK
New Brunswick gas and diesel prices are up this week, by only in the range of 1.2 cents for diesel, and gas prices are up about 1.7 cents. Nova Scotia’s new prices come in at midnight.
MHL CANCELS SOME UPCOMING GAMES TO FOLLOW PANDEMIC RULES
DEATH OF TRURO FIRE FIGHTER GOES BACK TO COURT IN THE NEW YEAR
The Provincial Firefighters School is facing Occupational Health and Safety Act charges in connection with the death of a firefighter from Truro who was training there last year. 28-year-old Skyler Blackie died in hospital on March 20th, 2019, after suffering a critical head injury. It happened when a fire extinguisher exploded during a training exercise at the non-profit firefighters school 11 days earlier. The school is accused of failing to re-certify a used fire extinguisher and failing to ensure employees were aware of the hazard of using one with an expired certificate. The charges will be back in front of a judge on Jan. 11th. (with background files from Saltwire News)
TAX BREAK CHANGES FOR VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS IN NS
If you or somebody you know is a volunteer fire fighter who responded to at least 20 per cent of your brigade’s emergency calls this year….the province says people in that category will remain eligible for a $500 refundable tax credit. Put another way, it’s the emergency calls that matter, and the provincial Treasury Board says attending 20 per cent of meetings and training sessions will no longer be the measuring stick for that tax break.
RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS IN ATLANTIC CANADA COINCIDE WITH TRUMP’S TERM
Researchers at the University of New Brunswick say they’ve found an alarming spike in right-wing extremism in Atlantic Canada, and the data indicates the activity is increasing. UNB sociologist David Hofmann says right-wing extremist activity surged in Atlantic Canada in 2016, and has climbed higher each consecutive year. Researchers found 29 right-wing extremist groups active in the region, including the Northern Guard, which Hofmann describes as an American-style militia movement. He says these kinds of groups often blend “Atlantic Canadian culture and Atlantic Canadian pride into their narrative.” Some have even launched campaigns to feed and house the homeless in an effort to seem community-minded. Hofmann’s research team studied far-right activity in the region between 2000 and 2019 as part of a project led by Barbara Perry, director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University. (Canadian Press)
NOVA SCOTIA NURSE PRACTITIONERS GIVEN NEW RESPONSIBILITIES TO FREE UP DOCTORS
Nurse practitioners in Nova Scotia are taking on new duties to ease the burden on doctors. That means they’ll be able to take over assessments allowing people to drive with a commercial license, with medical conditions, exempting them from seat belts or child restraints and also to fill out accessible parking permits and the forms for people using the Alcohol Interlock system. The province says Nurse Practitioners are an important resource that we need to use to streamline the system.
MOON MISSION COMING UP FOR A CANADIAN IN 2023, CANADA SIGNS DEAL WITH U-S
The federal government has signed an agreement with the United States to send a Canadian astronaut around the moon as part of a broader effort to establish a new space station above the moon surface. Industry Minister Navdeep Bains has unveiled the new Gateway Treaty formalizing Canada’s involvement in the U.S.-led effort to build the new station, known as the Lunar Gateway. The treaty includes a commitment to having a Canadian on board when the U.S. conducts a fly-by of the moon in 2023, as well as a second flight, not yet scheduled. (Cdn Press Photo)
RARE VIEW IN THE SKIES COMING UP FOR NOVA SCOTIANS
This coming Monday, Dec 21st, the solar system’s two largest planets will be the closest they’ve been in 800 years. Experts say it’s the first time Jupiter and Saturn have been this close since 1226. Telescopes had not been invented at the time, so next week’s will be the first where humans can view it with telescopes.
And although Monday is when they’ll be the closest, the two planets are already not far apart, so you can see them after sunset any day the sky is clear enough for the next few days. Astrophysicists at St. Mary’s University say the best time to try is at twilight, in and around 5:30 p.m. You don’t even need really dark skies to see them, but what you do need is an unobstructed southwesterly view.
RCMP BREAK UP PROTEST OVER DIGBY COUNTY FORESTS
Nine people have been taken into custody in Digby County this week as the RCMP enforced a court-order from Dec 10th. It ordered demonstrators near a logging project on Landford Road, in the community of New France to end their protest.
Activists with the Extinction Rebellion group had been blocking logging roads at the site since late-October, saying they were trying to protect the endangered mainland moose. RCMP say they had been trying “friendly persuasion” on repeated occasions, but finally had to move in and break things up on Tuesday.
SUMMARY OF ALL NEW COVID RULES FOR NOVA SCOTIANS AND EFFECTIVE DATES
Effective 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 21 to 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 10, the following restrictions are in place provincewide: For gatherings and events: gatherings in your home can have 10 people total, including the people who live there people can have a close social group of 10 without physical distancing social events, festivals, special events, arts/cultural events and sports events are not permitted faith gatherings, wedding ceremonies and funeral services can have a maximum of 150 people outdoors or 50 per cent of an indoor venue’s capacity, to a maximum of 100 wedding and funeral receptions are not permitted
For businesses: restaurants and licensed establishments, outside the areas of HRM and Hants County noted above, must stop service by 10 p.m. and close by 11 p.m. Fitness and sport and recreation facilities can open facilities like gyms and yoga studios, which can operate at 50 per cent capacity and must ensure three metres distance between participants during high intensity activities
The current restrictions in areas of Halifax Regional Municipality and Hants County are extended until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 20th. The closure of restaurants and licensed establishments for dine-in service in these areas is extended until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 10th; they can continue to offer takeout and delivery service the Halifax casino will also remain closed until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 10
Outdoor fitness classes can operate at full capacity, but must ensure three metres distance between participants during high intensity activities. Personal services such as hair salons and spas can resume providing services that can only be done if the customer removes their mask, such as facials
Shopping mall rules currently in place for areas of HRM and Hants County will extend to the entire province, including operating at 25 per cent of their capacity; their food courts can remain open with public health measures in place including physical distance between tables
For sports, museums, libraries and long-term care: sports practices, training and arts and culture rehearsals are limited to 25 participants without physical distancing but games, tournaments and performances are not permitted. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, museums and libraries can reopen at full capacity with physical distancing and other public health measures in place each long-term care resident can have two designated caregivers and facilities can allow a limited number of visitors Nova Scotians are still asked to avoid any unnecessary travel.
There is no longer a recommendation specifically around travel into and out of areas of HRM and Hants County. “We want to let people have their holiday with loved ones but this holiday needs to be different to keep everybody safe,” said Dr. Strang. “We need to keep gatherings small, pull back on our social activity, and avoid crowds in the retail sector so that we don’t give this virus the opportunity to spread.”
Since vaccinations won’t likely be complete until September of 2021, the province is working with the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia on a pilot project for an app that dine-in restaurants and licensed establishments can use to collect patrons’ contact information for contact tracing. This will help standardize collection practices, ensure privacy of information, and reduce the burden on businesses. It will also improve public health’s ability to contact patrons as needed. The Department of Business is giving the association up to $100,000 for the project.
