HALIFAX -- The person who was on the WestJet flight to Moncton from Toronto on April 27 did not endanger fellow passengers, says Dr. Jennifer Russell.
"The person who was on that flight was not infectious at that time," New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health said at a news conference in Fredericton on Wednesday.
She said that the person had been tested in Alberta, had finished their self-isolation and weren't contagious when they flew.
Russell also reported one new case, bringing the province's number of active cases to two, and the overall confirmed total cases to 120.
This new case is a person aged 20-29 in the Saint John region and is the only positive test from the 490 tests that were done in the previous 24 hours.
Russell said this new case was a close contact of a person who was diagnosed in Ontario. When they came to New Brunswick, they self-isolated and during their 14-day isolation period, they developed COVID-19 symptoms, called 811 and got tested.
"They did not come into contact with anyone," Russell said.
She said that the other new case that she announced Tuesday -- in the Fredericton region -- is still under investigation.
"Public health staff are still gathering information," Russell said.
The province's chief medical officer of health says she expected to see the emergence of new cases, even though the province went 16 days without reporting a new case.
"We are in the midst of a global pandemic," Russell said. "We have fared better than most jurisdictions, but we cannot completely shut ourselves off from the effects of this disease. We will see more cases. What matters is how we respond when new cases arise."
The two cases are not enough for the premier to halt moving forward with a reopening.
"I have been encouraging businesses for weeks to prepare for the new normal and reopening," said Premier Blaine Higgs. "We are just days away from announcing that. In fact it will be this week."
Higgs is advising businesses to prepare by ensuring both customers and employees can keep their distance -- and wear a mask.