New Brunswick removes more pandemic restrictions after hitting another COVID-19 vaccination target
New Brunswick is lifting more pandemic restrictions as of midnight Wednesday.
"We're able to fulfill our commitment to move to Phase 2," New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said during a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. "We have arrived at this point ahead of schedule thanks to those who got fully vaccinated as soon as they were eligible. Because you took action to protect yourself, your family and everyone around you, we are now able to further loosen restrictions."
Higgs says 20.2 per cent of those 65 and older have received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which was a target to move to the second phase. The province had hoped to reach the target by July 1. More New Brunswickers have had their first dose, too, with that total reaching 75.4 per cent as of Tuesday.
Two other requirements to enter Phase 2 have also been met: hospitalizations had to remain low and all health zones had to remain at the Yellow alert level.
"We are making steady progress," said Dr. Jennifer Russell. "We have passed two important milestones, but we can't stop now. Our goal is to get as many New Brunswickers vaccinated. Until this is done, we cannot let our guard down."
Russell said that as of next Monday, every New Brunswicker who has had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to get their second dose, as long as 28 days have gone by since their first dose.
New Brunswick is getting a large shipment of Moderna vaccine and Russell says that public health will be able to fully vaccinate all eligible people in the province within the next several weeks.
"Moderna and Pfizer are interchangeable," Russell said. Most people got Pfizer as their first dose, but she said they use the same mRNA technology and are equally safe and effective.
"There are new and deadly variants that increase the risk among those who are unvaccinated, or only partially vaccinated," Russell said.
That's why it's important for people to continue to wear a mask, maintain physical distance, clean hands – and keep an eye on symptoms, she said.
"With each passing day, we are reducing the risk of new outbreaks of COVID-19 in New Brunswick," said Russell. "But we will not eliminate that risk completely. In the weeks ahead, we need to continue to wear a mask in public indoor places, maintain two metres of physical distance from others, wash our hands regularly, get tested when we have symptoms and get a second vaccine dose when we are eligible."
When symptoms emerge, don't take chances and keep a "high level of suspicion," Russell said.
DETAILS ABOUT PHASE 2
Here's a list of the significant changes in Phase 2, which New Brunswick will enter at midnight on Wednesday. The government outlined them in a news release sent Wednesday afternoon:
- No isolation or testing will be required for those travelling to New Brunswick from the Atlantic provinces, including Nova Scotia.
- No isolation or testing will be required for Canadian residents with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine travelling to New Brunswick.
- Unvaccinated Canadian residents travelling to New Brunswick from outside the Atlantic provinces, or Avignon or Témiscouata in Quebec, will be permitted to enter the province. They will be required to isolate and take a COVID-19 test between days five and seven before they can discontinue isolation.
- The requirement for travellers to isolate in a designated facility will no longer be in effect.
- Rotational workers and their households will no longer need to self-isolate upon their return to New Brunswick.
- Travel registration will continue to be required for all travellers entering New Brunswick from outside the Atlantic provinces or Avignon or Témiscouata in Quebec.
- Restaurants and businesses may operate at regular capacity. Businesses such as restaurants, gyms and salons must continue to maintain a contact list of clients to allow Public Health to contact trace if needed. Masks must continue to be worn indoors when it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of two metres or when not eating or drinking. The requirement to remain seated at all times is no longer in effect.
- Organized sporting activity will be permitted, however players and teams based outside of Atlantic Canada will be subject to travel requirements.
New Brunswick Public Health says all other restrictions will remain in place, including the use of masks, based on a health zone’s alert level. Anyone planning to travel outside New Brunswick should check that province's rules before leaving.
"Travellers from outside the Atlantic provinces will be required to show their registration and proof of vaccination when crossing into New Brunswick from Quebec or at an airport," Public Health wrote in a news release. "Travellers should anticipate delays at the Quebec border when entering New Brunswick, and it is recommended that they consider crossing the border outside of peak hours, during the evening or at night if possible to avoid traffic."
While Phase 2 allows restrictions for travellers from Maine and other international jurisdictions to be reduced, they don't come into effect yet because international travel is a federal jurisdiction.
Federal restrictions for international travellers are available online.
THREE NEW CASES CONFIRMED
New Brunswick also reported three new cases, one each in Zone 1, Zone 3, and Zone 6 – and all are close contacts of previously confirmed cases.
There have been 2,305 confirmed cases in New Brunswick since the pandemic began. Since Tuesday, 30 people have recovered, lowering the number of active cases to 58. Six patients are hospitalized in New Brunswick, including two in an intensive care unit.
There have been 45 deaths in New Brunswick since the pandemic began
On Tuesday, New Brunswick public health conducted 1,128 COVID-19 tests, raising the total since the pandemic began to 353,634.
OUTBREAK OVER AT SHEDIAC SPECIAL CARE HOME
New Brunswick Public Health says the COVID-19 outbreak at Ti Bons Soins is over.
The outbreak was declared on May 25, after a confirmed COVID-19 case at the memory care home in Shediac (Zone 1). Public health says staff and residents were re-tested several times to confirm the end of the outbreak.
"We would like to thank the staff of the facility and our partners at the Provincial Rapid Outbreak Management Team, the Horizon and Vitalité Health Networks, the Department of Social Development and the Canadian Red Cross for their continued support to this vulnerable sector," Russell said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.