Nova Scotia Now Has 41 Cases Of Coronavirus
HALIFAX – The provincial government has added 13 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, bringing the total up to 41. One case of COVID-19 in the province is that of a child under 10.
The age range of the 41 cases now stretches from under-10 to the mid-70s. One of the people with COVID-19 is in the hospital while the others are all recovering at home, according to Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Examiner.
“These cases are travel-related or related from close contact with earlier known cases,” said Strang.
Strang stressed that there is a silver lining in these numbers. Because these positive test results are travel-related, he believes that the “community spread” of the virus hasn’t happened yet.
“To me, that’s an indication of success,” said Strang. “People are doing what we’re asking them to do, and when they’re getting sick, they’re calling 811 and getting in for assessments.”
“The system is working.”
Nova Scotian businesses have been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, just like everywhere else. During the press conference, Premier Stephen McNeil said, for the economy to recover in the future, businesses getting deferrals on their loan payments is “critical.”
“We have been strongly encouraging the national government to have support to defer payments on commercial loans… We need those deferred payments if our economy is actually going to recover coming out of this,” said McNeil.
“All of us, both public and private, are going to feel the pain of this. This is something that none of us have seen before.”
Businesses may be called upon to provide medical masks and other supplies. Dr. Strang said the province has enough masks right now, but they will need more for the future.
“Work is underway…in terms of working with the federal government around a common procurement for masks,” said Strang. “We’re actually reaching out to a range of businesses… so we are actually looking everywhere we can supplement the supplies we have in the health system.”
During the press conference, McNeil was asked about employers who are not following health guidelines to keep workers safe from COVID-19. The Premier responded by reiterating the province’s order that employees must be kept six feet apart from each other while at work.
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“Those orders are not negotiable, quite frankly,” said McNeil. “Employers need to work with their employees; it’s incumbent on employers to ensure that you keep your workforce healthy.”
McNeil was also asked about what the government might do to protect people who are still expected to go to work, but who don’t feel safe because of the pandemic. McNeil said it is up to each employer to have a discussion with their employees to find a “suitable solution.”
“Our experience has been that the vast majority of employers in our province are working with their employees to find the appropriate work environment…”
“We’re hearing very creative ways that employers are able to keep their employees going… but I don’t think anyone should dismiss the feelings of the employee or the employer about how we’re dealing with this.”
Dr. Strang also reiterated that anyone entering the province from outside its borders must isolate for 14 days.
“It means going straight home… if you need groceries, other essentials, make arrangements with family or friends to help you out with that,” he said.
Monday was the first day that all non-essential traffic was closed at the Nova Scotia border. McNeil admitted the border checks were a “slow process” but improvements to the system are underway.
“We had a number of workers caught in lineups,” said McNeil. “This will smooth out; We are creating an essential service line for those who need to get across.”
“Use common sense. If you are not an essential service worker, you should not be crossing the border; you should stay home.”