N.L. ahead of schedule in reopening plan
Newfoundland and Labrador is moving to the second step of its reopening plan two weeks ahead of schedule, while New Brunswick is abandoning all public health restrictions at midnight Friday.
Both provinces are reporting more than 80 per cent of residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but New Brunswick says 67 per cent of residents aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated, compared with 52 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief public health doctor told reporters Friday that though vaccination levels are higher than expected and still climbing, she is still concerned about the 17 per cent of eligible residents who haven't yet received a first dose.
"We have a way to be able to protect ourselves," Janice Fitzgerald told reporters in St. John's. "And that's to get vaccinated ... that is the best tool we have in our tool box right now to keep us all safe." The province reported no new cases of COVID-19 Friday.
Data from the province's Department of Health shows the lowest rates of vaccination are among young people living outside St. John's and the surrounding eastern region of the province. Sixty per cent of residents in their 20s in the central region of the province has received their first dose of vaccine, compared with 73 per cent in the eastern region.
Fitzgerald said her department is working closely with regional health authorities to make vaccines more accessible to young people.
"Get out there, get your vaccines if you haven't already done so, and encourage your friends to get their vaccines, if they haven't already done so," she said.
Beginning Sunday, the province will move to the second stage of its post-pandemic recovery plan, she said, noting the move comes two weeks ahead of the original schedule. That means partially vaccinated travellers from Canada will no longer have to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test, nor will they have to self-isolate.
Outdoor gatherings of up to 500 people and indoor gatherings of up to 350 people, with physical distancing, will be allowed. Mandatory mask requirements will remain in place, but will be up for review during the week of Aug. 9, Fitzgerald said.
By contrast, New Brunswickers were set to enjoy their first weekend free of public health restrictions since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in the spring of 2020. As of 11:59 p.m. Friday night, masks will no longer be mandatory in public spaces, restrictions on travel will lift and there will be no limits to how many people can gather indoors or outdoors.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, said patients, staff and visitors in all hospitals and health-care facilities will have to continue to wear masks to reduce the risk of transmission within the health-care system. The province reported seven new cases of COVID-19 Friday.
Health officials in Nova Scotia reported one new infection, while 68 per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, according to COVID-19 Tracker Canada, a website run by volunteers who compile data released by federal and provincial health authorities. The Nova Scotia government only publishes vaccination rates for the province's entire population as opposed to the eligible population.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.