UPDATED: Southern N.B. Moving To ‘Red’ Level

Three more health regions in southern and western New Brunswick are moving back to the “red” level of pandemic recovery as of midnight Tuesday.

Public Health has recommended that Zone 1 (Moncton health region), Zone 2 (Saint John health region), and Zone 3 (Fredericton health region) move to the Red level as of midnight Tuesday night.

The three zones will join Zone 4 (Edmundston health region), which moved back to the “red” level on Sunday night.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said Tuesday that she knows these restrictions will cause concern and hardship for many New Brunswickers but are necessary at this time “to avoid the avalanche of cases being experienced just beyond our borders,” she said.

The threat posed by the rapid spread of Covid-19  on New Brunswick’s healthcare systems and well-being of citizens “cannot be ignored,” she added.

In each of Zone 1, 2 and 3, Dr. Russell said there have been at least three distinct chains of infection that has spread beyond their original source. “And only one of those infections being investigated can be definitely linked to an infection that occurred outside of New Brunswick,” she said.

Many of the cases were spread through large gatherings including holiday gatherings and celebrations, while transmissions continue today in workplaces, schools, and places where people haven’t been wearings masks or gone to places with symptoms.

Public Health announced 31 new cases and one additional Covid-related death on Tuesday.

That includes 21 new cases in Zone 4 (Edmundston health region), four in Zone 1 (Moncton health region), three in Zone 2 (Saint John health region), and one each in Zone 3 (Fredericton health region), Zone 5 (Campbellton health region) and Zone 6 (Bathurst health region).

Russell also confirmed another death involving a resident at Shannex Parkland Saint John’s Tucker Hall nursing home.

There have now been 13 deaths related to Covid-19 since the pandemic began, including four at Tucker Hall.

New Brunswick reached 1,004 confirmed cases on Tuesday and the number of active cases reached 316. There have been 18 more recoveries reported since Monday.

Public Health also said there’s a potential public exposure to the virus at Goodlife Fitness Centre on Ivan Rand Dr. in Moncton on January 13 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Premier Blaine Higgs said the move to red was made “in an abundance of caution, not be too late in reacting,” he said. “And we will continue to strengthen our resolve if we don’t get the necessary responses over the coming days.”

He cautioned if the situation does not begin to improve, zones in the “red” level may have to move to a complete lockdown.

“If case numbers do continue to rise, we might have to introduce additional measures beyond the red level to gain control. This would mean a full lockdown like we did in March last year,” he said.

“If a business you know or a small operation has had to close because of our actions today, then we all need to think what part we played in that, Because this is not a decision we made easily,” he added.

Restaurants have to once again close their dining rooms and move to drive-through, take-out or delivery only. Gyms and fitness facilities, personal services like hairdressers and spas, and entertainment centres like casinos and cinemas, have to close.

These businesses have been hit hard, including because they’ve had to close multiple times when restrictions become more stringent.

Even with alternative ways of offering their services, New Brunswick’s restaurants lost $255 million in sales last year, according to Restaurants Canada.

The government previously didn’t allow gyms and personal services to open in the orange phase, but decided they can remain open if they follow a Covid-19 operational plan.

Under the red phase, Higgs said he understands there are “sensitivities” around what’s allowed to open and what’s not allowed. He says grocery stores and hardware stores were deemed essential, for example, but “if we go to the next step into a further lockdown, then it becomes more restrictive into what exactly is needed inside these facilities, and make sure that thay’s the purpose in and out, and not general shopping in a multi-purpose facility.”

Higgs says he “very much sympathize” with businesses that have faced losses but said the decision to go to the red phase is to avoid a full lockdown that will go on for a long time, which could hurt businesses even more.

“Maybe we can be down for a week or two weeks and then be back up to a yellow or orange,” he said.

The priority is to reduce cases, and the quicker that’s done, the better it will be for businesses, he added.

Higgs said there will be enhanced enforcements, “but we’ll never catch everybody” and people need to step up.

K-12 schools will remain open at the “red” level. This will be done with enhanced health and safety measures including:

• Students and staff stay home if they have even one symptom of COVID-19.
• School staff are actively screened for COVID-19 when they report to work each day.
• If a positive case of COVID-19 is confirmed at a school in the Red level, the school will be closed for a minimum of three days to allow for contact tracing. On-site testing will also be available for school staff.

These are the other measures in place in the “red” phase:

• A single household bubble includes the people you live with.  Where required, a single household bubble can be extended to include:
  • Caregiver(s)
  • A family member that needs support from someone within the household
  • One other person who needs support (for example, someone who lives alone, or another family member).
• Masks are mandatory in indoor public places. Masks are required in outdoor public spaces when physical distancing of 2 metres cannot be maintained.
• Driving with members of your single household bubble or caregiver is permitted and masks are not required.
• Carpooling with others for work, school, medical appointments, or to access essential services such as groceries is permitted. When carpooling, continuous masking and maintaining physical distancing is required. If possible, only transport passengers outside your single household bubble in the back seat. Drivers must screen potential passengers for signs of illness, and drivers or passengers who are ill or who have been told to self-isolate by Public Health must stay home. Maximize ventilation in the vehicle, and do not recirculate the air. Clean and disinfect all surfaces that may have been touched by the passenger.
• Face masks are required when accessing goods through a drive-thru window. Masks are required for workers and any occupants of the vehicle who will be within 2 metres of the drive-thru window.
• Outdoor gatherings with physical distancing of five people or less. Physical distancing required in all other settings.
• Necessary travel only is recommended in and out of Red level zones, however, people can continue to travel within the province for work, school, essential errands and medical appointments.
• Outdoor (drive-in) religious services only.
• Non-urgent medical procedures and elective surgeries are postponed.
• Strict visitor restrictions in health and long-term care facilities and similar vulnerable settings.
• Primary care providers and regulated health professionals may operate utilizing virtual whenever possible.
• Unregulated health professionals may operate under a Covid-19 operational plan, with enhanced public health measures such as active screening of patrons, closed waiting rooms and enhanced barriers.
• Personal services such as barbers, hair stylists or spas are closed.
• Daycares remain open with appropriate guidance.
• Post-secondary education can continue to operate in-person for all practical programs but only virtually in areas where it is possible.
• All food and beverage will be reduced to drive-thru, take-out and delivery.
• Gym and fitness facilities are closed, including other similar close contact sport or recreational businesses or facilities.
• Public spaces such as casinos, amusement centres, bingo halls, arcades, cinemas and large live performance venues are closed.
• Public Transit can operate with 2m distancing between riders AND continuous use of a mask. Ensure space is available for individuals who require 2m distancing for medical reasons (e.g. immunocompromised and those that can’t wear mask).
• All other businesses and public services, including retail, can operate under a COVID-19 operational plan.