HALIFAX -- New Brunswick Public Health reported eight new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, a total that includes two travel-related cases of New Brunswickers who are isolating outside the province.

Here's a breakdown of the new cases:

  • Three cases in Zone 1 (Moncton region) are two people in their 20s and one person in their 30s. All three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
     
  • One case in Zone 2 (Saint John region) is a person in their 50s and is travel related.
     
  • Three cases in Zone 6 (Bathurst region) are two people in their 50s and one person in their 60s. One case is travel related, one is a contact of a previously confirmed case and the other is under investigation.
     
  • One case in Zone 7 (Miramichi region) is a person in their 50s and is travel related.

This increases the number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick to 1,988 since the pandemic began.

Ten people have recovered since Thursday, lowering the number of active cases to 140. Eight people are in hospital, including two who are in intensive care. Three of those eight are hospitalized out of province, public health wrote in a news release.

There have been 40 deaths related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Yesterday, public health staff conducted 1,520 tests, raising the total since the pandemic began to 302,136.

OUT-OF-PROVINCE COVID-19 CASES

Public health provided a clarification about how it keeps statistics on out-of-province cases.

"New Brunswick residents who are in another Canadian jurisdiction at the time of being diagnosed with COVID-19 are recorded in New Brunswick statistics, as long as they have a valid Medicare card and a New Brunswick home address," public health wrote in a news release. "These cases, including out-of-province hospitalizations, are counted in the health zones of their home communities. This is the practice in most Canadian jurisdictions."

OUTBREAK OVER AT SPECIAL CARE HOME IN GRAND BAY-WESTFIELD

Public Health says the COVID-19 outbreak at Murray Street Lodge in Grand Bay-Westfield in Zone 2 (Saint John region) is over.

The outbreak was declared on April 21 after a confirmed COVID-19 case at the facility. Public health said staff and residents of the facility were "re-tested several times" to confirm the end of the outbreak.

EXPOSURE NOTIFICATIONS

Public Health has identified a potential public exposure to the virus at two locations.

  • Irving Big Stop, 783 Fairville Blvd., Saint John.
  • Sunday, May 2 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
  • Tim Horton’s, 85 Harrisville Blvd., Moncton.
  • Monday, May 3, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

REMINDER OF ORANGE AND YELLOW LEVELS

A section of Zone 4, including Edmundston and the Upper Madawaska region, Saint-Léonard, Grand Falls, Drummond, New Denmark and Four Falls, remains in the Orange level.

All other zones and communities in the province, including the Saint-Quentin and Kedgwick regions in Zone 4, remain in the Yellow level.

Public health is reminding people not to travel in or out of areas in the Orange levels, but people are allowed to travel between areas in Orange. New Brunswickers are also allowed to travel among Yellow level areas.