A return to yellow is off the table for several weeks as province gets ready for ‘third wave’ of coronavirus variants
16 NEW CASES, ONE MORE DEATH
There has been one more death related to COVID-19 in New Brunswick. Someone in their 80’s who had been living in a nursing home in Edmundston died Thursday from underlying complications including COVID-19, according to Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell.
At a news conference Friday, Russell announced 16 new cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, four of which are in Zone 1, the southeast region.
Nine of the new cases are in the Edmundston region, two in the Fredericton region, and one in the Bathurst region.
Four people are in hospital, with two in intensive care.
The province conducted 2079 tests on Thursday, with 794 of those in Zone 1.
ONE YEAR MILESTONE OF COVID-19 IN CANADA
Jennifer Russell started out Friday’s news conference reflecting on the past year.
“At this one year anniversary,” said Russell, “I think it’s very significant to say that we have really come through this first year quite successfully with respect to the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in terms of the the seriousness of what we’ve seen.”
But it didn’t take long for Russell’s tone to change.
After acknowledging that New Brunswick is still in the middle of the second wave of that pandemic, Russell warned of what’s coming.
“The third wave is going to be upon us very soon,” she said. “And that third wave is much worse than the first and second combined.”
Russell said the third wave would come as a result of new, more transmissible, more contagious, and more dangerous variants of coronavirus.
Russell said that despite mechanisms to test for the new variants, they will likely arrive in the province “without us knowing.”
The pandemic fueled by coronavirus variants, “will spread more quickly,” said Russell. “It will outrun our ability to contact trace and isolate.”
That is why, she said, “we are taking the steps that we are taking right now with respect to travel restrictions, self isolation, and public health advice and phases.”
REST OF PROVINCE TO REMAIN IN REVISED ORANGE FOR SEVERAL MORE WEEKS
After setting the stage for bad news, Russell announced that no health zones in the province would be moving out of orange zone for several more weeks.
“No region in this province can move past the orange level until we have a clear understanding of the impact of these variants,” said Russell.
The yellow phase of restrictions that New Brusnwickers became accustomed to over the course of the summer and fall, has been taken temporarily off the table, while the province revises it to fit the evolving realities of the pandemic.
Russell did not announce any changes to Zone 1, which remains in red, and Zone 5, which remains in lockdown.
But there is a silver lining to an ongoing orange zone in the rest of the province, having to do with bubble size.
Russell announced that restrictions are changing to include a ‘steady 10’ along with a household bubble. This means that while in the orange phase, a household bubble can add a list of 10 close contacts, as long as those contact are mutual. So if your neighbour’s household is on your ‘steady 10’ list, then your household must also be on their ‘steady 10’ list.
“If we all keep to a consistent 10 of close contacts outside of our home, we will reduce the risk of rapid spread to COVID-19 and make it easier to trace contacts when infection happens. It’s not going to stop the transmission,” said Russell. “We’re hoping to slow it down.”
“This number will enable people to protect themselves and their families against the virus while maintaining contact with others, which is vital for preserving our mental health,” she said.
The ‘steady 10’ is an upper limit, said Russell, and she encouraged people to keep their list as small as they can.
The stakes are high with your ‘steady 10’ list, as they will be considered close contacts, said Russell. “If one member of your household tests positive for COVID-19, they will be self-isolating as a result.”
CHANGES FOR ROTATIONAL WORKERS NEEDED TO ALLOW MORE FREEDOM WITHIN PROVINCE, SAYS SHEPHARD
Russell and Health Minister Dorothy Shephard also announced changes to requirements for rotational workers.
Previously, self-isolation requirements for rotational workers (those who alternate between home and work for extended periods out of the province) were less strict, but they will now be in line with other self-isolation guidelines. Workers must self-isolate for 14 days when they return to New Brunswick, and should do it in a separate place if possible. If they must isolate with their household, then the entire household must also isolate.
“We highly recommend you do your best to find another option, as this puts everyone in the home at risk,” said Shephard. “Time and time again we have seen incidents where a family became infected while a member of the household was isolating,” said Shephard, adding that a positive test in the household would result in restarting 14 day isolation from the beginning.
“We need to buy time and reduce the number of contacts of those coming into the province who could potentially be infected with COVID-19,” said Shephard.
Shephard said that given the risks posed by the new variants, there were two choices. “We could loosen border restrictions and rely on regular lockdowns to slow the spread,” said Shephard. “Or we could tighten our borders and give New Brunswickers more freedom within the province and hopefully get back to having an Atlantic bubble.”
