HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia Government is reporting 16 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, bringing the province to 138 active cases. 

Fifteen are in the Central Zone. The one other is a school-based case, reported Sunday night, connected to the Northeast Kings Education Centre in Kings County, N.S. (Western Zone).

"We continue to see strong interest in the asymptomatic pop-up rapid testing locations, which shows Nova Scotians, including young Nova Scotians, are taking this virus seriously," said Premier Stephen McNeil in a press release Monday.

“I want to thank all who have come out for a test, as well as the volunteers and health staff at the sites. We are also seeing impressive test numbers at the labs, a reflection of the hard work of staff there. These are important pieces of our collective effort to contain the virus," said McNeil.

Northeast Kings Education Centre is one of four schools in the province to temporarily close because of the virus.

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union says they want to see more being done to help schools stay physically open to students even when cases occur.

"We believe that that plan looks like reducing class sizes so that students can be fully physically distanced," said NSTU president Paul Wozney. "Making sure that proper ventilation plan is in place in every classroom to meet national standards is and there is masking for everybody who can safely wear one from P-12 and handwashing stations in every classroom."

There are no cases of the virus currently in long-term care homes and the province wants to keep it that way.

A new testing strategy will test those who work with long-term care residents every two weeks. It's something the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) has been asking for.  

"It's exactly what we need both for the safety of the people who live in long term care and the reducing of the anxiety among those important front line care workers who are so concerned about the possibiliy of bringing COVID in to the residences," said Bill VanGorder, CARP's chief policy officer.

The Nova Scotia Health Coalition would like to see even more done.

"Voluntary testing of staff and volunteers at long term care is an important piece of the puzzle but it's not enough," said Chris Parsons. "So, it has to be paired with ensuring everyone has the proper protective equipment, something that didn't happen during the first wave. It has to be paired with people whether they be volunteers, employees or residents get the treatment they need if they do test positive. It has to be about isolating cases."

With the second wave underway, the president of the NSGEU says staffing continues to be an issue, especially in the long-term care sector.

"Vacations are being cancelled, people are burnt out and they're severely understaffed," said NSGEU president Jason MacLean."When you look at all those issues adding up, coupled with no new people coming to this sector, we're very worried about where things are going during this here second wave of the pandemic."

N.S. COVID-19 TESTS

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 3,054 Nova Scotia tests on Sunday.

To date, Nova Scotia has had 142,367 negative test results and 1,305 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 1,102 cases are now considered resolved and 65 people have died as a result of the novel coronavirus, leaving 138 active cases in the province.

There is no one in hospital due to COVID-19.

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

58 per cent of cases are female and 42 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: 62 cases
  •  Central Zone: 1108 cases
  •  Northern Zone: 80 cases
  •  Eastern Zone: 55 cases

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, has been extended to Dec. 13.  

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