'It's nice to see everyone's faces again:' N.B. no longer under mandatory order, despite concerns from experts
The Boyce Farmer’s Market, a Fredericton favourite, was a busy spot Saturday morning hours after New Brunswick’s mandatory order was lifted, and with it, all of the province’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Capacity limits no longer apply, and neither do mandatory masks. Many were embracing it.
"This is our happy place. We usually come all the time, and for the longest time it was just a weird, uncomfortable vibe," said Tyler Wood.
"It’s just amazing to see everyone coming out, seeing the big crowds and seeing people hugging and smiling and just really enjoy the day. It’s just amazing to be back and feel normal."
The end of the mandatory order also means anyone can visit the province, including Canadians who are unvaccinated. The border checks at the Quebec-New Brunswick border are no longer staffed by the department of public safety.
People can also choose to wear a mask.
Brian MacDonald decided to continue wearing one on his market visit "just to err on the side of caution."
"I kind of have mixed feelings about New Brunswick opening up to the extent that it is with the Delta variant," he said. "I hope that the masklessness isn’t a disaster."
Experts are also expressing their concerns with the decision, warning that it will lead to an increase in cases.
"It does seem to be a little quick," said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease specialist in Halifax.
"It is a bit of an experiment, not as much as Alberta, but a bit of an experiment that didn’t need to happen as quickly as it has. Do I anticipate a massive number of hospitalizations all of a sudden? No, but are there going to be some people who get sick and maybe very sick, who didn’t need to? That’s almost a certainty over the next number of weeks. I’m not certain that that’s okay at this point."
But Premier Blaine Higgs says he’s confident and comfortable with the decision, even though the province hasn’t reached its 75 per cent vaccination target yet.
Higgs also said his government has made the vaccines very accessible, with mobile and after-hours clinics across the province.
"There are those that have no real reason to be unvaccinated and have chosen not to be, and yes, they’re at risk,” he said.
"They will continue to be at risk, so their fate is in their hands in that sense because the opportunity is there. There’s nothing more I can do. We don’t have a mandatory vaccination policy and I don’t see that coming anytime soon."
Higgs said he’ll be using his own discretion on wearing a mask.
The end of the mandatory order also effectively stops the need for the all-party COVID-19 cabinet committee.
Since last March, the group saw New Brunswick's four political parties sit at the same table, making pandemic-related decisions together.
Higgs said meetings could be scheduled if necessary in the future, but for now, no further meetings are planned.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.