HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total of active cases to 44.

All 11 new cases are in the Central Zone. Six are connected to previously reported cases, while five are under investigation.

The announcement comes after the province said it saw its single largest jump in COVID-19 cases in recent months on Saturday.

150 RAPID TESTS PERFORMED

The province noted the newly announced cases do not include a potential case that was detected on Saturday night in a pilot rapid COVID-19 screening program for bar staff and patrons in downtown Halifax.

About 150 rapid tests were done, mostly on staff. Of 10 patrons tested, one was positive. That person also underwent the standard test, which provides a higher level of accuracy. Results are pending, and the person has been self-isolating since last night.

“Catching even one potential case of COVID-19 can have a huge impact in stopping the spread of the virus,” said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil in a news release on Sunday. “It’s an important lesson that we need to limit our social contacts and follow all the other public health guidelines – wear a mask, practise social distancing and wash your hands.”

One of the testees was Garden Food Bar & Lounge owner Kourash Rad.

Rad says he received a text message about 15 minutes after being tested. The message informed him he was negative, advised him to stay safe and wear a mask.

"It's a very important time to stick together," says Rad, noting his restaurant will only offer take-out for now, even though it's not mandated by government. "We felt that it's the most sensible thing to do for our staff, guests, for our business. Overall, it seemed like a great decision."

Results of Saturday night’s pilot will be used to inform a broader testing strategy.

“The majority of new cases we are seeing involve social interactions – people who may or may not be symptomatic going downtown with friends and staying for several hours,” said chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang in a press release on Sunday. “Last night’s pilot provides us more information as our testing and screening strategy continues to evolve.”

Meanwhile, with cases increasing in the province, new restrictions in much of Halifax Regional Municipality and parts of Hants County will come into effect on Monday.

HOUSEPARTY HIJINKS

Some residents on Edward Street in Halifax's south end weren't happy when a large house party – with over 60 reported attendees – broke out in their neighbourhood late Friday night.

On Sunday, Halifax Regional Police confirmed officers broke the party up and issued a $1,000 ticket for violating pandemic protocols.

One university student who lives next door says he had to stop partygoers from coming into his home.

"[A] bunch of the people from that house basically just walked into our house," says Jack Marga. "[We] did our best to kick people out; we got a visit from police, explained what happened, and that was kind of the night."

UNIVERSITY CONFIRMS TWO CASES

On Sunday, Dalhousie University issued a letter to students, faculty and staff saying that Nova Scotia Public Health informed the university of two confirmed COVID-19 cases among the student community living off-campus in Halifax.

The university says the two students who have tested positive for COVID-19 are self-isolating, as required. Additionally, the university notes the students are studying virtually and are not associated with its residence community.

Meanwhile, Dalhousie says staff from Student Health and Wellness teams in both Halifax and Truro are available to support students. Students can call 902-494-2171 for the Halifax team and 902-893-6369 for the Truro team if they have health concerns.

CASE BREAKDOWN

On Saturday, Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 1,164 Nova Scotia tests.

To date, Nova Scotia has had 128,080 negative test results and 1,179 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those cases, 1,070 cases are considered resolved and 65 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus, leaving 44 active cases in the province.

There is no one in hospital due to COVID-19.

The province's confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.

Sixty per cent of cases are female and 40 per cent are male.

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: 58 cases
  • Central Zone: 989 cases
  • Northern Zone: 77 cases
  • Eastern Zone: 55 cases

On Sunday, Public Health issued an advisory concerning potential exposures at various locations throughout Halifax.

OVER 15 NEW EXPOSURES

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

Public health says that anyone who visited the following locations on the specified dates and times is asked to immediately contact 811 to arrange for COVID-19 testing, regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms:

  • Athen’s Restaurant (6273 Quinpool Rd, Halifax) on Nov. 17 between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 1.
  • Split Crow Pub (1855 Granville St, Halifax) on Nov. 18 between 4:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 2.
  • Truly Tasty Restaurant (6210 Quinpool Rd, Halifax) on Nov. 19 between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 3.
  • aFrite Restaurant (1360 Lower Water St, Halifax) on Nov. 20 between 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 4.

MONITOR FOR SYMPTOMS

Public health says that anyone who visited the following locations on the specified dates and times is asked to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days, following the day of exposure:

  • Goodlife Fitness Halifax Clayton Park (70 Lacewood Dr, Halifax) on Nov. 15 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Nov. 29.
  • Goodlife Fitness Bedford Hemlock Square (41 Peakview Way, Halifax) on Nov. 16 between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Nov. 30.
  • Lawton’s Drug Store Scotia Square (5201 Duke St, Halifax) on Nov. 16 between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Nov. 30.
  • Starbucks Quinpool (6112 Quinpool Rd, Halifax) on Nov. 17 between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 1.
  • Sport Chek Halifax Shopping Centre (7001 Mumford Rd, Halifax) on Nov. 17 between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 1.
  • Bath and Bodyworks Halifax Shopping Centre (7001 Mumford Rd, Halifax) on Nov. 17 between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 1.
  • Fitness FX (6330 Quinpool Rd, Halifax) on Nov. 17 between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 1.
  • Dollarama Scotia Square (5201 Duke St, Halifax) on Nov. 18 between 4:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 2.
  • Scotia Square Mall Food Court (5201 Duke St, Halifax) on Nov. 20 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 4.
  • Atlantic Superstore Barrington (1075 Barrington St, Halifax) on Nov. 20 between 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 4.
  • Sobeys Clayton Park (287 Lacewood Dr, Halifax) on Nov. 20 between 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 4.
  • Sobeys Windsor Street (2651 Windsor St, Halifax) on Nov. 20 between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 4.
  • HaliMac Axe Throwing (1920 Brunswick St, Halifax) on Nov. 20 between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 4.

Up to date information about COVID-19 is available at novascotia.ca/coronavirus.

NSH CORRECTS SATURDAY’S EXPOSURE LIST

On Sunday, Nova Scotia Health issued a corrected timeline from its November 21 release.

“From time to time, the Public Health contact tracing process involves revising exposure timelines. When these changes happen, NSH updates the original posts on their website, Facebook, and re-issues the media release. NSH also posts a correction under the original Twitter thread,” said the organization in a release on Sunday. “We apologize for any confusion and inconvenience this process may cause.”

  • Stillwell (1672 Barrington St, Halifax) on Nov. 16 between 9:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Nova Scotia Health Public Health is asking that anyone who visited this location on the specified date and time to immediately contact 811 to arrange for COVID-19 testing, regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Nov. 30.
  • Vitality MediSpa (5424 Doyle St, Halifax) on Nov. 18 between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and Nov. 19 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 3. Nova Scotia Health Public Health is asking all those who were present at this location during the listed times to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.

TWO HALIFAX AREA SCHOOLS TO CLOSE FOR TWO WEEKS

On Friday, the province announces two Halifax-area schools with confirmed cases of COVID-19 will be shut down for two weeks as a precaution.

Students who attend Graham Creighton Junior High School in Cherry Brook, N.S., and Auburn Drive High School in Cole Harbour, N.S., will move to online learning while the schools are closed. The schools are slated to reopen on Dec. 7.

“We are doing this as a precautionary measure, but the reality is, we have COVID in these two schools and in the surrounding communities,” said Premier Stephen McNeil during a press conference Friday afternoon.

Nova Scotia public health confirmed Thursday evening that there is a second case of COVID-19 at Auburn Drive High School.

"The new case is a close contact of an earlier reported case at the school," the province said in a news release.

Auburn Drive High School and its family of schools are closed for the day on Friday, Nov. 20. The family of schools includes:

  • Astral Drive Elementary
  • Astral Drive Junior High
  • Bell Park Academic Centre
  • Caldwell Road Elementary
  • Colby Village Elementary
  • Graham Creighton Junior High
  • Humber Park Elementary
  • Joseph Giles Elementary

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

SELF-ISOLATION AND MANDATORY MASKS

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to self-isolate at home, away from the public, for 14 days.

Anyone who travels to Nova Scotia from outside the Atlantic region for non-essential reasons is required to self-isolate for 14 days and must fill out a self-declaration form before coming to the province. Travellers must self-isolate alone, away from others. If they cannot self-isolate alone, their entire household must also self-isolate for 14 days.

Residents of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are not required to self-isolate when travelling to Nova Scotia, but they must be prepared to provide proof of their place of residency at provincial borders.

Visitors from outside the Atlantic region who have already self-isolated in another Atlantic province for 14 days may travel to Nova Scotia without having to self-isolate again.

It is mandatory to wear a face mask in indoor public spaces in Nova Scotia.