Horizon Health Network is reminding New Brunswickers that if they have travelled between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, they should not present to the emergency departments of the Moncton or Sackville hospitals for non-urgent health care needs.
Spokesperson Kris McDavid says Horizon is, “asking people to exercise common sense and limit their use of the emergency department in non-urgent situations.”
Instead of going to emergency rooms, patients with non-urgent health care needs are being asked seek alternate options, such as those outlined on Horizon’s website SoWhyWait.ca.
The site is designed to reduce wait times and pressures on emergency rooms, and suggests options such as calling 811, visiting a doctor, asking a pharmacist, or going to an after hours clinic.
Sackville does not have an after hours clinic, though there are several listed in Moncton on the New Brunswick Medical Society website.
If someone has travelled from Nova Scotia and still needs to visit an emergency room, Horizon says they would need additional precautions implemented.
If you have mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19, Horizon advises against going to the emergency department, and instead recommends completing the online COVID-19 self-assessment or calling 811.
In an emergency, people should call 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room.