‘Right direction’: N.S. officials cautiously optimistic on controlling COVID outbreak
Nova Scotia’s boundaries were closed to non-essential travel on Monday, as the province reported 121 new cases of COVID-19. But as the new health order took effect — nearly two weeks into a provincewide lockdown — chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang sounded a cautiously optimistic note, saying there are early signs that restrictions are beginning to work. He told reporters at yesterday’s briefing the number of virus cases is coming down on a “slow but regular basis.” He added that Nova Scotia is headed in the right direction, but he’s “fully aware you don’t turn this around overnight.” He says “We have to be slow and cautious through this whole process.” Health officials identified 94 new cases in the central zone, 16 in the eastern zone, six in the western zone and five in the northern region. As of Monday, the province had 1,655 active COVID-19 cases and 58 people in hospital, including nine in intensive care. Strang said progress has been made on a backlog of 200 positive cases that had yet to be entered into the province’s database. About 100 cases remained, he said Monday, adding that the system should catch up by mid-week. (With files from Canadian Press)
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia has introduced a compassionate exemption application process for people who had plans to move to the province this month, after many people expressed frustrations about border restrictions that were suddenly imposed. The province announced Friday it would deny entry to anyone moving to Nova Scotia as of Monday.
People can apply for an exception if they have:
— a purchase or sale agreement for a property purchase in 2021 showing that an offer has been accepted on or before April 21 and closing date is on or before May 20
— a minimum one-year lease signed on or before April 21 and beginning on or before May 20
— a letter of acceptance for new employment in Nova Scotia that cannot be done virtually or deferred; the letter must be dated on or before May 7
Nova Scotia Health Public Health is advising of potential exposure to COVID-19 at various Halifax Transit routes, two Air Canada flights and one West Jet flight. All potential exposure notifications in the province are listed here: http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-exposures
N.S. investing $1.3 million in food security during third wave of COVID-19
Premier Iain Rankin announced on Monday that the government will spend $1.3 million on improving food security in Nova Scotia during the third wave of the pandemic. $1 million is going to Feed Nova Scotia to support its approximately 140 food banks and meal programs across the province, and the COVID-19 Food Box program. Family Resource Centres will receive $200,000 to continue providing food-related support to the families they serve, and $100,000 will go to charitable organizations and smaller food banks not included in the Feed Nova Scotia network.
More fines handed out for violating public health restrictions in the province
RCMP fined 26 people $2,422 each after officers responded to a complaint that a faith-based gathering Sunday at a church in the Annapolis Valley was in violation of public health restrictions. Police said Monday the church that organized the event, the Weston Christian Fellowship Church in Weston was also fined $11,622. RCMP also said they fined a business in Windsor for violating the Health Protection Act. West Hants District RCMP says officers were notified on May 6th that a ‘personal service business’ in Windsor was operating contrary to public health restrictions.
A new Leger poll suggests Canadian confidence in COVID-19 vaccines is holding firm despite swirling confusion and concern about the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. More than eight in 10 poll respondents said they are either vaccinated already or plan to get inoculated when it’s their turn, almost identical to the number who said that in a similar poll taken a month ago. However fewer than half of of those surveyed say they have trust in either AstraZeneca or the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, compared with more than eight in 10 for both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. AstraZeneca and J&J are potentially linked to an extremely rare, but potentially fatal, blood clotting syndrome. The poll also suggests almost two-thirds of Canadians support the idea of vaccine passports, and three-quarters want a vaccine passport once they’ve been inoculated. However there is far more support for the use of passports for domestic or international travel and a lot less for the idea of using them for activities like going to a restaurant, working out at the gym or taking in a concert. Leger surveyed 1,529 people online for the poll between May 7 and May 9. It cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples. (The Canadian Press)
