Nova Scotia Drops More Border Restrictions, Loosens Rules For Retailers
HALIFAX—Nova Scotia has removed self-isolation requirements for people coming into the province from Newfoundland and Labrador.
People arriving from that province will now be able to move about freely as soon as they arrive, rather than quarantining for 14 days.
Premier Iain Rankin said today he made the decision based on advice from the province’s public health officials.
“We’re confident that the low case numbers make it possible for us to remove this measure,” he said.
Nova Scotia already has similar rules in place for travelers arriving from New Brunswick. Although New Brunswick and Newfoundland have both kept restrictions in place on their sides of the borders, all four Atlantic provinces have agreed to reform the Atlantic Bubble as of April 19.
Rankin said today that, despite rising Covid-19 cases in parts of New Brunswick, that plan remains in place.
As of April 5, there were 162 active Covid-19 cases in New Brunswick. Of those, 135 were located in the Edmundston region, which remains under that provinces “Red” designation.
“We’re watching New Brunswick very closely, and if Dr. Strang decides it’s necessary we will shut that border down. But as of now, non-essential travel to the Edmundston area is not recommended,” Rankin said.
The premier added that he is comfortable keeping the Nova Scotia border open to New Brunswick because very few New Brunswickers from the “Red” region travel into this province.
Because the Edmundston outbreak appears largely contained, and the rest of the province remains in the “Yellow” phase, Rankin feels there’s limited risk.
However, he said if a region nearer to the Nova Scotia border went into the “Red” phase, “that would give us pause.”
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s top doctor says the province’s public health restrictions are keeping people here safe, even when travellers bring Covid-19 into the province.
Dr. Robert Strang pointed out today that new variants of Covid-19 are driving up infection rates across most of Canada, but not in Nova Scotia. Nearly all of Nova Scotia’s new infections, he says, can be traced back to outside travellers.
“When we have had Covid-19 transmitted from travellers into the community, the protocols and restrictions we have in place for all Nova Scotians are preventing wide spread,” he said.
As of April 7, some of those restrictions will be loosened.
Rankin said today that, as of 8 a.m. tomorrow, malls, retail shops, and gyms will be allowed to open at 100 per cent capacity, as long as social distancing requirements are followed.
Sports games, practices, and arts and cultural performances and rehearsals will also be allowed to have as many as 75 people present.
“This is great news for our service and retail sector, also great news for our sports teams and arts here in the province,” Rankin said as he made the announcement. “But again, we’ll monitor this very closely and be nimble as we have been. And we will shut down when we need to.”
While the province did loosen rules on some businesses, restrictions on restaurants and bars will remain in place.
Strang said he believes it’s still “premature” to relax those rules with mutated variants of Covid-19 raging across the country.
“I think we still have to be very cautious when it comes to the number of people who can get together in groups inside,” Strang said.
Restaurants, by no fault of their own, tend to create the ideal situation for Covid-19 to spread, and Strang said restrictions on them continue to help minimize that spread in Nova Scotia.