New Brunswick To Enter “Green Phase” July 30th
FREDERICTON — Health officials in New Brunswick announced Friday the province would lift all Covid-19 restrictions, including physical distancing and mask-wearing, at midnight on July 30.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, and Premier Blaine Higgs addressed reporters at a press conference in Fredericton.
Higgs said even if vaccinated targets aren’t met by next Friday, New Brunswick will still lift provincial border restrictions, travel registrations and other restrictions residents have lived with since March 2020. However, federal border restrictions will remain in place.
“Today is the day we’ve all been looking forward to,” said Higgs.
New Brunswick has been in phase two of the province’s Path to Green since June 16, and according to the premier, it hasn’t seen any outbreaks of the virus.
He said that’s why officials are comfortable moving forward to the next recovery phase as New Brunswickers now “have the tools and knowledge needed to manage Covid-19.”
Russell says the province has reached this milestone because a large majority of residents are getting their vaccines.
According to the province’s provincial Covid dashboard, 62.7 per cent of New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. In addition, 81.2 per cent have at least one dose.
Officials predict at least 70 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers will be fully vaccinated by July 30.
New Brunswick is also approaching a milestone of administering a total of one million doses.
The province has seen very few new cases and the ones it does see are travel-related, Russell said, adding most are connected to persons who aren’t vaccinated.
“This is a very important milestone in our fight against the virus in this province and in the country,” said Russell.
Russell notes there have been mixed messages on the effectiveness of vaccinations, and she encourages New Brunswickers to support conversations with family and friends by sharing information from reliable sources.
“We have all worked hard to reach this number and we will continue to work hard to get as many New Brunswickers fully vaccinated as possible,” she said.
“Based on what we know about the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, having a high number of people vaccinated provides both individual and community protection,” said Higgs.
The province continues to offer mobile vaccination clinics across the region, and Russell is asking anyone who hasn’t received their first or second dose to keep an eye on social media and the GNB website for information on where those clinics are located.
Meanwhile, the province confirmed three new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, including two travel-related cases in the Saint John region and one case in the Fredericton health zone, which is under investigation.
New Brunswick now has 10 active cases of the virus, but none are in the hospital.
As New Brunswick prepares to lift pandemic restrictions, Russell says it’s important for residents to remember people will “move to this next phase at their own pace.” She says some may choose to continue following current guidelines like distancing and mask-wearing, and “that’s OK.”
“There will be people who want to wear masks for different reasons and they should not be stigmatized for whatever reason,” said Russell.
With that, Higgs said testing and monitoring for Covid-19 remains essential. He adds there will still be protections in place should there be outbreaks of the virus. Institutions like nursing homes will also have policies to protect staff and patients.
Russell says anyone who feels stressed or anxious about the transition to the next recovery phase can access support through the Living with Covid-19 guide found here.
Higgs said the province’s strict safety measures and border management were key components to New Brunswick’s success in fighting the virus. He thanks Russell and Public Health and the Covid Cabinet, caucus, and public servants for this hard work and dedication.
“In many ways, the pandemic has show us who we are, how good we could be and the success we’ve seen as a province,” said Higgs.
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this process at a time when New Brunswickers needed us.”
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Aaron Sousa is a summer intern for Huddle. Send him story suggestions: [email protected].