Nova Scotia to tighten border to New Brunswick Wednesday morning

HALIFAX, N.S. -

Amid a surge of new COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia is set to re-establish border measures Wednesday.

The decision caught many people by surprise including Bridgewater, N.S. native Evan Dahl. He was almost to the New Brunswick border when he heard the news Monday afternoon.

"I pulled over in Amherst to try to read everything and the website was so confusing and contradicting. I'm still confused,” he said.

Starting Wednesday at 8 a.m., anyone coming into Nova Scotia from New Brunswick will need to follow the same requirements as those coming from outside Atlantic Canada. They must fill in the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form online and will need to upload their proof of vaccination. Nova Scotians returning home from New Brunswick must do the same, and follow any self-isolation requirements depending on their vaccination status.

People who have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days before arriving in Nova Scotia do not have to self-isolate. Those who had one dose of vaccine at least 14 days before arriving in Nova Scotia must self-isolate for at least seven days and cannot leave isolation until completed and have received two negative tests. People with no vaccination must isolate for 14 days; testing at the beginning and end of their isolation continues to be recommended.

"That will be a week or quarantine and testing if you've had one dose and two weeks if you've not had any vaccine at all,” said Premier-designate Tim Houston.

Staff at the border will check to confirm all travelers from outside Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI who are required to fill in their safe check-in form have done so. Failure to follow the Health Protection Act requirements can result in a $2,000 fine.

The province’s top doctor says most of the COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia are travel-related.

"New Brunswick has seen a recent rise in cases and some of our cases in the last week are directly linked to that province,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

The border changes aren’t surprising to Amy Melanson, who recently moved from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. She is unvaccinated and says the changes will impact her visiting her friends and boyfriend in Nova Scotia.

"It's going to cause a lot of barriers because right now I'm looking for a job in Sackville, N.B., so if I came down here and I was working it's not going to be possible to self-isolate for two weeks,” said Melanson.

As for Dahl, he and his girlfriend are both fully vaccinated, but he says they may cut their New Brunswick trip short to ensure they’re back in Nova Scotia in plenty of time for him to start a new job Thursday.

"We were initially going to go back to Nova Scotia tomorrow, but might go back tonight just to be safe,” said Dahl. “We’re just scared right. We don't know if there's going to be any hassles at the border or whatnot.”

Officials expect the changes at the border to impact a small number of people. There are some exceptions, like for students and workers who need to cross the border frequently.