Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health in New Brunswick (Government of New Brunswick/YouTube video capture)
New Brunswick Public Health is reporting six new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Tuesday – one in the Moncton region (Zone 1) and five in the Campbellton region (Zone 5).
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell confirms one of the cases in Campbellton is at a special care home, Manoir de la Sagesse, where an outbreak has been declared.
Russell says staff and residents are being tested for the virus and contact tracing is underway.
In Zone 1, the individual is in their 70s and is related to the outbreak at Manoir Notre-Dame.
In Zone 5, one individual is under age 19, one is in their 30s, another is in their 50s and two individuals are in their 60s.
“Outbreaks are a stark reminder that this virus is still present in New Brunswick and we need to be extremely cautious,” said Russell.
“We need to maintain physical distancing, practice good hygiene, wear masks and support each other as we work our way through this pandemic together.”
Given that the Moncton and the Campbellton regions are now back in the orange phase, Russell says no door-to-door trick or treating will be allowed on Halloween in those areas.
The province recently unveiled guidelines for Halloween under COVID-19 but they now apply only to those living in parts of the province under the yellow phase.
Also under the orange phase, bars and restaurants can remain open but barbers and hairstylists must close again and Russell was asked why.
“Services provided by hairstylists and salons require close contact for longer periods of time – so that’s where the risk is higher.”
New Brunswick now has 82 active cases.
Six new cases of COVID-19 / Zones 1 and 5 are Orange / Schools in Zone 5.https://t.co/BiZ8OVRuoY
— Government of NB (@Gov_NB) October 13, 2020
Education Minister Dominic Cardy revealed possible exposure to COVID-19 at more schools in Zone 5.
The schools involved are Lord Beaverbrook School, Campbellton Middle School and Campbellton Learning Centre.
Cardy also confirmed a case of COVID-19 at Dalhousie Regional High School in the Campbellton region.
He said they are committed to protecting the privacy of students and staff.
“No news is good news if you don’t hear anything from public health. They don’t have the time or resources as they engage in an aggressive program of contact tracing and all the other work they have to do to try and keep us safe and to ride out the second wave of the pandemic. They are not able to call every single family with every single update,” Cardy said.
Cardy said they do not anticipate any changes to learning at the schools where exposure may have occurred.
Premier Blaine Higgs used the COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday to address concerns about mask usage and the tougher restrictions for those in Zones 1 and 5.
He said the government heard from a lot of New Brunswickers over the weekend including those who disagree with the current restrictions.
“I also know some people will make special efforts to avoid the rules or to maybe do things that are outside the current public health recommendations. I just wish to caution each of you. 30 per cent of our individuals are asymptomatic so, you don’t know if you are a carrier. We have to be cognizant of that risk,” Higgs said.
Higgs said he understands things are difficult right now, adding we are already “seeing the benefits of your hard work”.
“The case numbers have dropped significantly. Let’s just hope this trend continues. Let’s hope we are talking about days and weeks and not months of being in an orange zone,” Higgs said.
The premier said we’ll continue to be diligent until a vaccine is found.
He said life with COVID-19 is here for a while, so we need to get used to it, manage it and be successful.
