Premier Blaine Higgs. (Image: CPAC video capture/file photo)
The province’s chief medical health officer says if New Brunswick remains on its current trajectory of COVID-19 cases, all regions of the province could move to the yellow phase on March 7.
Dr. Jennifer Russell says it was an accomplishment hitting the orange phase throughout the province, but rules under the yellow phase will be different than last time.
The new yellow phase features a ‘steady 15,’ an increase of five allowable close contacts from the orange phase.
There will also be updated rules for the orange phase, which include increased travel within the province, and visitation in hospitals with appropriate safety measures being upheld.
“This virus is changing all the time and we must change with it,” Dr. Russell explained.
The move to yellow still depends on the province maintaining a positive trend with its COVID-19 rates.
“Moving to the new yellow will be a testament to the efforts that all New Brunswickers made over the last two months to bring post-holiday COVID-19 outbreaks under control,” Russell said.
While the province awaits a potential change to yellow the Premier announced a revised orange phase.
Starting at midnight tonight New Brunswickers will be allowed to travel between zones, visit people in the hospital and be granted travel exemptions with Public Health preapproval.
Higgs says visitors will be allowed at long term care facilities after all the staff and residents have been fully vaccinated.
The Premier continued to announce future changes with a potential plan for those who leave the province for work.
“We have asked Public Health to put together a plan to help ease this burden. This plan will be presented to cabinet and the all-party cabinet committee on COVID-19 in the second week of march,” Higgs said in regards to rotational workers.
The province announced one new case of the virus Friday, an individual in their 20s in the Moncton health zone.
There are now 41 active cases, and one person is hospitalized and currently in the intensive care unit.
