N.S. Relaxes Restrictions For Some Businesses As Case Counts Drop
HALIFAX — As Covid-19 cases drip into single digits in Nova Scotia the provincial government is further easing public health restrictions.
As of February 5, there were only eight active Covid-19 cases in the province. There have been several days in the past week where no new cases were reported.
Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said those low numbers mean the province can start “cautiously loosening some restrictions.”
As of Monday, February 8, both retail businesses and gyms will be allowed to operate at 75 percent of their overall capacity. That is an increase from the 50 percent they are currently allowed.
The province is also upping gathering limits for a host of activities, such as weddings, funerals, faith gatherings, meetings hosted by private businesses, and gatherings from clubs like Cubs and Guides.
Approved organizations can now host events and gatherings with 150 people outdoors, or 50 percent of a venue’s capacity to a maximum of 100 indoors. Those gatherings will all have to adhere to rules that force them to end by 11 p.m.
Sports games and practices, as well as arts rehearsals and performances, will also once again be allowed to have spectators. Personal gathering limits will remain at a maximum of 10 people.
These restrictions will stay in place until March 7.
“This is a test for all of us. We’re keeping our cases down but the moment we see a shift or a surge, a change in the number of cases, we will not hesitate to bring back restrictions,” Premier Stephen McNeil said at a news conference Friday.
No relief For Bars And Restaurants
Although restrictions are being loosened across several industries and for several organizations, restaurants and bars will get no such break.
Strang said the current 11 pm. close times and 50 percent capacity limits will remain in place for food and licensed establishments. There will also be no exceptions made for special events, including the Super Bowl, which happens this Sunday.
“I think it’s important to emphasize that the reason we are loosening restrictions more so in some areas than in others is based on our epidemiology and an understanding of the risk of transmitting the virus that causes Covid-19,” he said.
“Evidence tells us that late-night gatherings where alcohol and other substances may be involved present much higher risks than a youth club or a business meeting. That is why we can open up many types of gatherings, but not all.”
Atlantic Bubble Won’t Re-form Any Time Soon
McNeil also said he’s had “no conversation about opening up the Atlantic Bubble” with neighbouring New Brunswick.
Quarantine-free travel between the two provinces was quashed in November as the second wave of Covid-19 arrived in the region.
Case counts are still high in New Brunswick and McNeil said that the province is focusing solely on reducing its own Covid-19 outbreak before it opens back up to its neighbours.
“We’ll have to see a change in the cases in New Brunswick before we can actually go back to the Atlantic Bubble model,” he said.
Trevor Nichols is a staff writer with Huddle in Halifax. Send him an e-mail with your story suggestions: [email protected].