HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. With 11 previously reported cases now considered resolved, the number of active cases in the province has dropped from 71 to 64.
Nova Scotia Health says one of the new cases is located in the province's Eastern Zone and is related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada. The person has been self-isolating as required.
The other three new cases are located in the Central Zone. One is a close contact of a previously reported case while another case is under investigation.
The third case is connected to Tallahassee Community School, a pre-primary to Grade 3 school in Eastern Passage, N.S.
Nova Scotia Health says the person was not in school Thursday and is self-isolating. The school will close to allow for a deep-cleaning, testing and contact-tracing, and is expected to reopen to students on Wednesday.
Students will learn from home during the closure and families of the school will receive an update on Tuesday.
Nova Scotia Health says anyone who is a close contact will be notified, tested and asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
"Seeing lower case numbers is good news, but it does not mean we can let our guard down," said Premier Stephen McNeil in a news release. "We know how fast this virus can move. We have worked so hard to contain it - let's not falter as we get closer to the vaccine being available. We need to continue to be kind to one another, support one another and recognize that when we follow public health protocols, we are actually protecting each other."
"Today marks the sixth consecutive day where our case numbers are below 10," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. "Just because our case numbers are low does not mean we can become complacent. I am urging Nova Scotians to continue to follow all the public health measures."
PARISH SUSPENDS IN-PERSON SERVICES
A parish in Lantz is just outside of the restriction zone, but with parishioners coming from surrounding communities, Rev. Canon David Fletcher decided to suspend in-person services anyway.
"This is the year nobody wants to remember and the Christmas nobody will forget," said Fletcher. "We decided that for the safety of all concerned, and for pastoral simplicity, it would be easier just to do what we're going to do for Christmas online, rather than in person, and that was a hard decision."
The plan is to keep the doors closed until at least Jan. 10.
The extra restrictions remain in place until Dec. 16 when the province will decide whether to lift them – or not.
CASE BREAKDOWN
Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 1,788 Nova Scotia tests on Wednesday.
Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia has conducted 81,706 tests and confirmed 304 positive COVID-19 cases. Of those, 240 cases are considered resolved, leaving 64 active cases. No one has died during the second wave. Cases during the second wave range in age from under 10 to over 80.
Since the start of the pandemic, Nova Scotia has completed 204,884 tests, and reported a total of 1,393 cases of COVID-19. Of those, 1,264 cases are now considered resolved and 65 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus.
The province's confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.
Fifty-seven per cent of cases are female and 43 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: 68 cases
- Central Zone: 1,176 cases
- Northern Zone: 87 cases
- Eastern Zone: 60 cases
The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, has been extended to Dec. 13.
EXPOSURE ALERT FOR FLIGHT FROM TORONTO
Anyone who was on the following flight in the specified rows/seats should immediately self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test online, or call 811, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Everyone else on the flight is being asked to self-isolate as required and monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
- Air Canada Flight 614
- Travelling on Dec. 5 from Toronto to Halifax, arriving at 5:15 p.m.
- Affected seats include D,E, & F, and rows 22 to 28
- Symptoms may develop up to, and including, Dec. 19
- Anyone else on the flight should self-isolate as required and monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
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.
