N.B. Will Move To ‘Yellow’ Phase Sunday Night
FREDERICTON – The entire province will move to the “yellow” phase of recovery on Sunday night at midnight, Dr. Jennifer Russell and Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said on Friday.
Russell, the chief medical officer for health, said the move to “yellow” is subject to change if cases increase, particularly in the Miramichi area.
“If there is a significant change over the weekend, we will revisit the decision,” said Russell. “As of right now, Miramichi will also move to yellow. We will be watching very very closely this weekend.”
The Miramichi area has confirmed cases of the U.K. variant of Covid-19.
Dr. Russell also confirmed four new cases of Covid-19 in the province: 3 in zone 7 (Miramichi area) and 1 in zone 3 (Fredericton and Saint John River Valley area).
The move to “yellow” comes with previously announced new restrictions on the “yellow” phase of recovery. Each household will now be able to have a “Steady 15,” an increase from the “orange” phase’s “Steady 10.” These contacts may be from other zones.
Russell also stated that with Health Canada’s approval of the AstraZeneca vaccination, an update to the province’s vaccination plan will be made next week. In the meantime, she said that she expects all New Brunswickers to have at least one dose of the vaccine before the end of June.
New restrictions for the yellow phase level include the following:
- Residents will be allowed to expand their steady 10 to a steady 15 list of contacts. They may visit venues together, including dining out at restaurants.
- Sports teams will be allowed to play within their league across zones, following their operational plan. Tournaments or larger events within a zone may be permitted, subject to the approval of the plan.
- Formal indoor gatherings will be permitted with an operational plan in place as long as the venue is at 50 percent capacity or less and physical distance can be maintained.
- Formal and informal outdoor gatherings of 50 people or fewer will be permitted with physical distancing in place.
The full list of restrictions to the yellow phase are available on the government’s website.
Liam Floyd is a reporter for Huddle. Send him story suggestions: [email protected].