Nova Scotia’s State of Emergency Ending After Two Years
HALIFAX—On March 22, 2020, the Government of Nova Scotia declared a state of emergency in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, almost two years later, that state of emergency is coming to an end. The province says it will lift the order on March 20, at 11:59 p.m.
The move comes as the provincial government eliminates nearly all its public health restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 21, the province will drop mandatory mask requirements in most places, along with gathering limits and social distancing requirements.
Businesses and organizations across all sectors will be allowed to resume full operations, while special events can fully resume.
At a Covid-19 briefing on March 18, Premier Tim Houston said he believes lifting restrictions is the right decision for the province.
However, he said the province is making one change to the rules on March 21. After leading pediatricians penned a letter urging the province to keep mask mandates in schools, Houston said the province will keep masking mandatory in schools until mid-April.
“It is clear that’s the best decision, based on today’s information, is to keep making in schools,” Houston said.
Along with masking in schools, mask requirements will also remain in “high-risk” settings like hospitals, long-term care facilities, prisons, and similar institutions.
Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said while the pandemic is easing, it certainly isn’t over.
“There is still a fair amount of virus out there in communities across the province,” he said.
The provincial government says the latest Covid-19 numbers show “continued virus activity and community spread” in Nova Scotia and a high number of new hospital admissions.
Between March 9 and March 15, 41 people were taken to the hospital because of Covid-19. Twenty-three were discharged. There were 15 Covid-19 deaths reported in Panorama during that period.
As of March 17, there were 38 people still in hospital in Nova Scotia with Covid-19.
Strang said these numbers show the impact of Phase 1 of the province’s reopening plan.
He said the Omicron variant of Covid-19 will be mild for most people but modeling from other regions shows that easing restrictions tend to come with at least some resurgence of Covid-19.
“That’s why we need people to continue to take this virus seriously,” he said.
He urged Nova Scotians to continue masking and social distancing practices, even though they’re no longer mandatory, and keep in mind the risk Covid can still pose to other people.
“Our personal actions are also acts of kindness and caring to others,” Strang said. “When the pandemic does end, let’s have kindness as the legacy Nova Scotia leaves behind.”
Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].