Will Covid-19 Restrictions In Halifax Be Lifted On December 9?
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s top doctor says he’s encouraged by the slowing spread of Covid-19 in the province but that he’s not ready yet to ease up on restrictions.
Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said it’s a “positive sign” that the number of new cases has remained “stable and relatively low” for the last couple of days. However, he said it’s still “a bit too early to relax yet.”
Today, the province announced 10 new cases of Covid-19, all in the central zone, bringing the total number of active cases in Nova Scotia to 142.
But Strang said the number of new cases is just one of the indicators public health consider when decided or when to relax public health restrictions.
Another important factor is the average number of close contacts per case.
During the first Covid-19 wave, Strang said the average number of close contacts for each case was three. Today, the average number of close contacts per case continue to creep up and is now at eight.
Strang said public health will need to see the number of close contacts coming down “before we can say things are moving in the right direction.”
He also said public health looks at how Covid-19 cases are spreading. During the first wave, new cases were mostly linked to travel, while the second wave has seen Covid-19 spread primarily through social situations.
The best way to bring Covid-19 back under control, Strang said, is for everyone to follow and take public health restrictions seriously, specifically those related to travel in and out of the Halifax area covered by the latest restrictions.
“We know that when people move the virus moves with it,” Strang said.
Restrictions Likely Won’t Be Lifted All At Once
The latest round of restrictions will stay in place until at least December 9 and Strang said even if things can change at that time, they almost certainly won’t be completely removed.
Strang said public health will have a better handle on the epidemiology of the second wave by then and will decide whether to extend measures, which might have to stay in place, for how much longer, and whether to extend them to other regions.
“We’re going to continue to review our situation, and this time next week we’ll be looking carefully at where we are with restrictions. But I think it’s important for people to understand that even when we are able to start to lift restrictions it will need to be done slowly and carefully.”
Strang said it’s still too early to know the full impact of the new restrictions, but that he’s “encouraged” by what he’s seeing.
He said inspectors checked in on several businesses in the Halifax area over the weekend and that every single one of them was in full compliance with the rules.
“I certainly recognize, and I want to acknowledge for retailers how difficult it’s been, especially at a time when it’s a peak shopping period. But I want to acknowledge the cooperation and the understanding from retailers and their willingness to be creative and adapt and do their part to bring COvid under control,” he said.
