Nova Scotia Declares State Of Emergency
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil declared a state of emergency on Sunday, giving police the authority to level fines for people not obeying the rules of “social distancing” in public and the workplace.
McNeil says Nova Scotia borders are now tightened, adding those travelling in from outside of the province must self-isolate for 14 days.
McNeil responded with the alert adding Nova Scotia residents were not listening to government orders and still gathering in large groups.
“Hundreds gathering on our beaches and in our parks, large groups of people congregating, young people playing street hockey, cars parked everywhere, people disregarding law enforcement,” said McNeil in a press conference Sunday. “We are dealing with a deadly virus and this behaviour is unacceptable.”
The response from the McNeil was swift, capping gathering of groups at five people effective noon Sunday.
The fine for individuals not obeying the rules will be $1,000; for businesses, it will be $7,500.
McNeil says the rules are common sense and easy to abide by.
“Law enforcement has the ability to go into a mall, and if you’re hanging around in the public space you’ll be asked to disburse and if you choose not to, you’ll be fined,” he said. “If you’re going into a mall to go to a particular store, then go into the mall and go directly to that store, purchase what you’re looking for, and exit the mall.”
He says most private businesses that are not public-facing have already changed their hours of operation and reconfigured their workspaces to abide by the “self-distancing” rules.
“We have a number of employers that have worked really hard to ensure that they’ve created ‘self-distancing’ protocols inside of their businesses,” said McNeil. “Some have double-shifts so they take fewer people in. If it’s a call centre, they’ve changed how close people are to one another. Many of those workplaces that are still functioning have followed the advice of the chief medical officer and have the right protocols in place.”
All provincial and municipal parks and beaches in Nova Scotia are now closed with all travel into those parks and beaches now strictly prohibited.
Measures were also taken Sunday to alert Nova Scotians on the status of border travel in and out of the province, as effective 6 a.m. on Monday, March 23, all persons entering Nova Scotia will be checked at the border.
Police can also now fine anyone who does not follow the self-isolation guidelines.
There are seven new cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, bringing the total number of cases to 28.