HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia is reporting three new cases of COVID-19, and one previously-reported case is considered resolved, bumping the number of active cases in the province up to 18.

The province said Tuesday that the latest cases are all located in the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s Central Zone.

One case is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada. The person self-isolated, as required.

The other two cases are linked to the cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Clayton Park area of Halifax. One case is a close contact of another previously-reported case and another is connected to the Bitter End Martini Bar in Halifax, where a patron who had COVID-19 exposed others.

The owner says his staff have been tested and he could could reopen, but is choosing to stay closed until Thursday.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang first confirmed Monday that health officials are investigating a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Clayton Park area.

Nova Scotia Health is working to identify, isolate and test known contacts of the recently-confirmed cases.

Strang said there have been potential exposures throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality linked to the Clayton Park cluster, noting that Nova Scotia Health has issued several exposure advisories over the past few days, including one at the Bitter End.

Anyone who visited the Bitter End on Argyle Street from 9 p.m. to closing on Nov. 2 is urged to call 811 to make arrangements to get tested for COVID-19.

Despite the cluster of cases and exposure advisories, Strang has stopped short of confirming community spread.

“We’re at a point where we can’t say that there’s broad community spread, but we can’t say there’s not either,” Strang said Monday.

Meanwhile, the province is working on a plan to make testing faster and easier for people who are linked to the cluster and is also working to set up mobile testing in the Clayton Park area.

Schools in the area are now on alert.

"How bad does COVID have to be in a community before we’re going to shut a school down and we’re going to go to remote learning?" asked Nova Scotia Teachers Union President Paul Wozney. "Parents need that information."

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education says that information will be communicated to families.

POTENTIAL EXPOSURE ON FLIGHT

Health officials are advising of a potential COVID-19 exposure on a Halifax-bound Air Canada flight from Montreal on Oct. 28.

Air Canada flight AC 7558 departed Montreal at 1:45 p.m. and landed in Halifax at 4:05 p.m.

Passengers in rows 20 to 26, seats A, B and C, are more likely to have had close contact. Passengers who were in those seats are asked to call 811 for advice and to continue to self-isolate.

Passengers who were exposed to COVID-19 may develop symptoms up to, and including, Wednesday. Those present on the flight, but not in the identified rows and seats, should continue to self-isolate as required and self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

842 COVID-19 TESTS CONDUCTED

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 842 Nova Scotia tests on Monday.

To date, Nova Scotia has had 118,317 negative test results and 1,132 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 1,049 cases are now considered resolved, and 65 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus, leaving 18 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: 943 cases
  • Northern Zone: 76 cases
  • Eastern Zone: 55 cases

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.