HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia is reinstating its border restrictions for New Brunswickers entering the province after an increase in COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick.  

Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin says effective 8 a.m. on April 15, New Brunswickers will once again be required to self-isolate for 14-days upon arrival in Nova Scotia and will be required to complete the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form.

"We are seeing the increased cases in New Brunswick and we are also seeing the presence of variants in the Saint John area. Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to reinstate our border restrictions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19," said Rankin.

"As I have said before, we follow the science and public health guidance. When we see changes, we act. This is a reminder of how quickly the situation can change with this virus. We ask Nova Scotians to remain vigilant with all the public health measures."

There are still certain situations connected to crossing the border that individuals are required to follow different protocols, which include:

  • people traveling for work, school, child care or quick, necessary tasks that cannot be done virtually can follow the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick travel protocol
  • people traveling for child custody reasons must follow the child custody protocol
  • people who are exempt from self-isolation must follow the exempt traveler protocol

"Anyone isolating in Nova Scotia after travel within Canada should get tested at the beginning and end of their isolation. Anyone who is not required to isolate should get tested three times in their first 14 days home in Nova Scotia," wrote the province in a news release on Tuesday.

People coming from Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador do not have to self-isolate or complete the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS AND PROM CELEBRATIONS

Health officials in Nova Scotia say thanks to Nova Scotians’ adherence to public health guidelines, the province will be able to allow graduations to take place this year.

"Students, staff and families will be there, will be able to gather in small groups in schools to recognize student achievement and success," said Rankin during a news conference on Tuesday.

Rankin says there will be guidelines in place to ensure gathering limits and public health protocols are being followed.

"This is a large undertaking that will span several days for many schools," Rankin explained. "Accommodating it means that secondary schools will need to end a week early this year and more details will be shared at a local level from the schools."

The premier also brought up proms during Tuesday's COVID presser.

"This year, we will focus on making graduation as special as it can be. They will not be organizing proms but parent groups are able to organize, as long as they follow public health guidelines, including gathering limits," said Rankin.

2021 IIHF WOMEN'S WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang, says the province continues to work with Hockey Canada, the IIHF and the Government of Canada to agree on an approved plan to allow the 2021 IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship to take place next month.

Strang says in order for the championship to take place, players and officials, and anyone involved with this event will be required to self-isolate for 14-days before the tournament.

Pending final approval from Public Health, the Women’s World Hockey Championship is scheduled to drop the puck from May 6 to 16 at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre and Truro’s Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

Strang also says the Team Canada selection camp, which begins in Halifax on Wednesday, does have an approved plan, including a 14-day quarantine to ensure the health and safety of participants, as well as the greater community.

"We are not giving acceptations, we are not compromising on the fundamental need for a 14-day quarantine in any way to accommodate this tournament," said Strang.

Halifax and Truro were originally scheduled to host the 10-country 2020 World Championship from March 31-April 10, 2020, but that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IIHF awarded Nova Scotia the tournament again, with an original date of April 7-17, but postponed the tournament to May due to ‘the difficult circumstances and challenges for ice hockey and international travel posed by the COVID-19 pandemic’.

SIX NEW CASES

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting six new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Two of the cases are in the province's Central zone and is related to travel outside of Canada.

Three cases are in the Western zone and are also related to travel outside of Canada.

One case is in the Eastern zone and is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada.

All six individuals are self-isolating, as required.

Seven of Nova Scotia's previously reported cases are now considered resolved, with the total number of active cases in the province dropping to 45.

N.S. COVID-19 CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 2,110 tests on Monday. The province has completed 455,070 tests since the pandemic began.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,781 COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 1,670 cases have recovered and 66 people have died due to the novel coronavirus.

There are currently three people in hospital due to COVID-19, with no one in the intensive care unit.

There are cases confirmed across the province, but most have been identified in the Central Zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The provincial government says cumulative cases by zone may change as data is updated in Panorama, the province’s electronic information system.

The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where their sample was collected.

  • Western Zone: 123 cases (9 active cases)
  • Central Zone: 1,423 cases (29 active cases)
  • Northern Zone: 135 cases (2 active cases)
  • Eastern Zone: 100 cases (5 active cases)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to April 18, 2021.

VACCINE UPDATE

Nova Scotia's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the amount of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Monday, 157,590 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 126,296 were first doses and 31,294 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

As of April 6, 53,305 vaccines were administered to health care workers, and 10,062 were administered to long-term care residents.

As of April 6, the province has received a total of 200,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and anticipate a delivery of 84,740 doses this week.

NOVA SCOTIANS ENCOURAGED TO SEEK ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING

Public health is strongly encouraging Nova Scotians to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have had several social interactions, even with their own social circle.

COVID-19 tests can be booked through the provinces online self-assessment COVID-19 tool, or by calling 811.

People can also visit one of Nova Scotia’s many rapid pop-up testing sites that continue to operate throughout the province.

COVID ALERT APP

Canada’s COVID-19 Alert app is available in Nova Scotia.

The app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play, notifies users if they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

LIST OF SYMPTOMS

Anyone who experiences a fever or new or worsening cough, or two or more of the following new or worsening symptoms, is encouraged to take an online test or call 811 to determine if they need to be tested for COVID-19:

  • Sore throat
  • Headache
  • Shortness of breath
  • Runny nose/nasal congestion