HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia government will receive $289 million from the federal government to safely reopen the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money will help the province in areas such as testing and contact tracing, infection control and prevention, tracking and report and securing personal protective equipment.

The funding is part of Ottawa’s $19-billion federal-provincial-territorial Safe Restart Agreement, which was first announced on July 16.

Nova Scotia will receive the following federal allocations over the next few weeks:

  • $77.3 million to increase testing and contact tracing, enhance mobile testing, enhance provincial border entry control and monitoring, upgrade data management and other measures
  • $18 million to support the health-care system with issues arising from a second wave of COVID-19
  • $12.9 million to expand access to mental health and addictions services
  • $19.1 million for measures to control and prevent infections among vulnerable populations, including long-term care facilities
  • $77.3 million to support Nova Scotia's tracking and reporting system to continue to ensure an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) is stockpiled and available
  • $17.4 million to help child-care centres provide PPE and support new cleaning protocols and public health measures
  • $67.5 million to help municipalities address lower revenue from transit and taxes, as well as increased costs associated with COVID-19 infection prevention measures

The federal government is also spending $1.1 billion nationwide to fund and administer a COVID-related sick leave program for Canadians who do not have sick leave coverage.