HALIFAX -- One of New Brunswick’s healthcare providers has announced temporary measures for all patients outside the Atlantic bubble, aimed at preventing the potential spread of COVID-19.
Vitalité Health Network announced Wednesday that any non-urgent surgeries or appointments scheduled for patients from Quebec or outside of the Atlantic Bubble will be postponed effective immediately.
Any patients from outside the Atlantic bubble who require urgent care in New Brunswick hospitals will be required to complete a ‘compulsory preventive isolation’ at the facility, and visits will be prohibited, except for patients at the end-of-life.
“We understand that this decision will somewhat inconvenience the patients covered by these measures,” said Gilles Lanteigne, president and CEO of Vitalité Health Network. “However, we must take all necessary steps to prevent COVID-19 – which is currently surging in Quebec – from crossing the border and hitting New Brunswickers hard. I am confident that the precautions we are taking will considerably reduce the risk of spread to our communities.”
These measures apply to all patients from outside of the Atlantic bubble, with the exception of residents of the Listuguj First Nation and of Pointe-à-la-Croix, both located in Quebec’s Avignon Municipal Regional County, near Campbellton, N.B.
