HALIFAX -- New Brunswick reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, as it prepared to loosen restrictions in the Moncton (Zone 1) and Fredericton (Zone 3) regions at midnight.

During a Sunday news conference, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell announced Public Health supports the move to the Yellow alert level, saying it has been measured against all risks, the declining caseload in both regions and high levels of public adherence to restrictions.

But New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs gave a word of caution.

“For residents in areas currently at the Yellow level, including those who are returning to the Yellow level tonight, I urge you to continue to take precautions and be mindful and careful,” said Higgs. “Recent events have reminded us how quickly our situation can change. Wearing masks and limiting the people we are in contact with is making a difference. That is why we must continue to do both, even during the holiday season.”

Other Public Health recommendations include Zone 2 (Saint John region) remaining at the Orange alert level for the time being, as there are still a number of active cases in this zone and the risk of transmission or outbreaks remains high.

Public Health will continue to monitor progress in this region in the hope of returning Zone 2 to the Yellow alert level as soon as possible.

“The danger of further COVID-19 infections has not gone away, we have not reduced the risk to zero,” said Russell. “Yellow means ‘caution.’ It is not an invitation to go full speed ahead into life as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Recovery level rules are available online. In the Yellow level, Public Health measures and guidelines must still be followed. This includes wearing a mask in most indoor public places

NEW CASES

The four new cases announced Sunday include:

• One individual 19 and under in Zone 1 (Moncton region)
• One individual in their 60s in Zone 2 (Saint John region)
• One individual 90 and over in Zone 2 (Saint John region)
• One individual in their 60s in Zone 4 (Edmundston region)

All cases are self-isolating and under investigation

As of Sunday, 133,087 COVID-19 tests had been conducted in New Brunswick. Two people are hospitalized in an intensive care unit.

To date, the number of confirmed cases in the province is 534, of which 445 have recovered and seven have died. This leaves 82 active cases.

CASES THROUGHOUT NEW BRUNSWICK

The number of cases are broken down by New Brunswick's seven health zones:

  • Zone 1 – Moncton region: 145 confirmed cases (16 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 123 confirmed cases (44 active cases)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 100 confirmed cases (12 active cases)
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 15 confirmed cases (7 active cases)
  • Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 137 confirmed cases
  • Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 10 confirmed cases (3 active cases)
  • Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 4 confirmed cases

Residents can take an online self-assessment if they are experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

VEHICLE TRAFFIC INFORMATION

New Brunswick's online dashboard includes information about vehicle traffic attempting to enter the New Brunswick border.

On Friday, 1,658 personal and 735 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.

Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 29 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 1.2 per cent.