Heat warning issued across the Maritimes
Summer weather has arrived for the Maritimes. All of mainland Nova Scotia is under heat warnings with temperatures expected to reach at least 33 C in most areas today. Tuesday we’ll see even higher temperatures with highs of 36 C forecast for some areas. Cooler conditions can be expected along parts of the coast. Temperatures will turn cooler over all areas Tuesday night.
Province reports 12 new Covid-19 cases Sunday
The province reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. There were seven new cases in the central health zone, six that were close contacts of previously reported cases. Another is being investigated. The eastern health zone had three new cases, two that were close contacts of previously reported cases. One case is being investigated. There were two travel-related cases in the northern zone. The number of people hospitalized with the virus remained at 20, including six in intensive care. There are now 204 active cases of the virus in the province, the lowest number since April 24th. The province has scheduled three COVID-19 briefings this week with Premier Iain Rankin and Dr. Robert Strang – one today and Wednesday starting at 3 p.m. and on Friday at 2 p.m.
Last evening, Nova Scotia announced two new cases connected to schools in Dartmouth. It’s not clear if these cases were included in Sunday’s case count. Both schools will be closed to students until June 10 in order to allow testing of close contacts and deep cleaning of the facilities.
Starting Tuesday, travellers flying into Nova Scotia can receive a COVID-19 test kit at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Travellers who arrive at the airport will be provided with a kit and instructions to complete their self-swab. Nova Scotia Health Authority staff will be onsite daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to swab anyone who is unable to self-swab or needs support. Travellers who arrive between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. will take their self-swab kit to their self-isolation location to complete. The swab must be completed within 48 hours of arriving in the province and can be dropped off at a primary assessment centres.
Also, effective Tuesday there will be changes to self-isolation requirements for rotational workers based on vaccine status. Rotational workers who have no symptoms and have been fully vaccinated at least two weeks before arriving in Nova Scotia will no longer need to self-isolate. They must get tested on day one or two, again on day five or six, and again on day 12,13 or 14. Partially vaccinated workers who received one dose of vaccine at least two weeks before arriving in Nova Scotia still need to self-isolate for at least seven days. There is no change to the self-isolation requirement for rotational workers who are not vaccinated.
Canada is scheduled to receive 2.4 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week as more Canadians get their first and second jabs. Those shots are the only expected shipments in what should be a comparatively quiet week of vaccine deliveries. Moderna shipped 500,000 doses last week, with another 1.5 million shots due to arrive next week. Ottawa is also expecting another one million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of June, though a detailed delivery schedule has not been confirmed. The federal government says more than 60 per cent of Canadians have received at least one dose, and the number fully immunized with two shots is rising. (The Canadian Press)
$1 million winning Lotto Max ticket sold in Enfield; $100,000 ticket sold in New Glasgow
If you made a stop to pick up a lottery ticket in Enfield last week, you may want to check your numbers. Atlantic Lottery says a ticket sold there for Friday’s Lotto Max draw is worth a million dollars. It was one of eight Maxmillions winners. No one won the $70 million main prize, which will be on the line once again on Wednesday. Locally, the Tag on a Lotto Max ticket worth $100,000 was sold in New Glasgow on June 1st.
