HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia public health confirmed Thursday evening that there is a second case of COVID-19 at Auburn Drive High School in Cole Harbour, N.S.

"The new case is a close contact of an earlier reported case at the school," the province said in a news release.

Auburn Drive High School and its family of schools will close for the day on Friday, Nov. 20. The family of schools includes:

  • Astral Drive Elementary
  • Astral Drive Junior High
  • Bell Park Academic Centre
  • Caldwell Road Elementary
  • Colby Village Elementary
  • Graham Creighton Junior High
  • Humber Park Elementary
  • Joseph Giles Elementary.

Friday is an assessment and evaluation day for students from pre-primary to grade 9, so most students in these schools would have already been staying home.

Now, staff will work from home, except for caretaking and custodial staff.

The school will undergo a "comprehensive cleaning" the Halifax Regional Centre for Education's Elwin Leroux told parents in an email, while also promising to share more information on Friday.

"Public health will be in touch with close contacts as part of its ongoing investigation and advise of next steps," the news release from public health said. "Everyone in a class which a confirmed case attended is being tested and must self-isolate for 14 days. Students will be supported to learn at home."

When a member of the school community tests positive for COVID-19, public health works with the school to let families know about the positive case and what happens next. Those decisions, including whether to keep a school open, close a classroom or close the entire school, are made based on the level of risk to other members of the school community.

Earlier on Thursday, health officials had reported one new COVID-19 case that was under investigation.

Two previously reported cases are now considered resolved, dropping the total number of active cases in the province to 23.

Since the beginning of November, there have been 46 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Nova Scotia.

CASE BREAKDOWN

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 1,314 Nova Scotia tests on Wednesday.

To date, Nova Scotia has had 125,434 negative test results and 1,155 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 1,067 cases are now considered resolved and 65 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus, leaving 23 active cases in the province.

There is one person in hospital due to COVID-19.

The province's confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.

Sixty per cent of cases are female and 40 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: 58 cases
  • Central Zone: 965 cases
  • Northern Zone: 77 cases
  • Eastern Zone: 55 cases

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, has been extended to Nov. 29.

POTENTIAL EXPOSURE AT HALIFAX RESTAURANT, STORE

On Wednesday. Nova Scotia Public Health warned of two potential COVID-19 exposures in Bayers Lake, N.S., a shopping district in Halifax.

Public health says anyone who visited East Side Mario’s at 186 Chain Lake Drive on Nov. 14 between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., and on Nov 16. between noon and 7 p.m. may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

Health officials are also warning of a possible exposure at Sport Chek at 215 Chain Lake Drive on Nov. 15 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Nova Scotia health says anyone who was at the two locations on the dates and times listed above should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days, following the day of exposure.

Should any COVID-19 symptoms develop, they are directed to self-isolate and take the online self-assessment or call 811 to get tested.

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.