Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health in New Brunswick. (Photo: CPAC video capture)
The province announced eight new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon.
Six of the new cases were discovered in the Campbellton zone, while the other two are in the Moncton region. The new cases are related to the ongoing outbreaks in those regions.
The province’s chief medical officer of health also announced the outbreak in Moncton was caused by a travel-related case.
In a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Jennifer Russell says she’s relieved to announce it wasn’t a case of community transmission.
“Community transmission means we are at risk,” she said. “I’m sharing this in a positive way, like ‘yay! It’s not community transmission!'”
The province has stated that three instances of community transmission within a six day period would trigger a return to the red phase, which would include strict shutdown measures.
As of Wednesday, Moncton and Campbellton are the only zones in the orange phase, the rest of the province remains at yellow. The final phase, green, will only be reached when scientific advancement like a vaccine allows all restrictions to be lifted.
Wednesday’s provincial update also included additional potential school exposures in Dalhousie.
Dr. Russell said as a parent herself, she understands how anxieties are piqued during the pandemic.
“My children are going to school right now, and they will continue to go to school unless I get a phone call directly from a Public Health nurse who says ‘your child has COVID,’ or ‘your child is a close contact of someone who has COVID.'”
She added that parents can also trust communication directly from their children’s schools.
