Nova Scotia ‘bursting the bubble’ of restrictions
With Nova Scotia reporting no new COVID-19 cases for the ninth day in a row on Thursday, Premier Stephen McNeil said the province is "bursting the bubble," and allowing more people to gather in groups or social events.
McNeil said he and Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, agree that the easing of restrictions is warranted.
“Effective today, we are bursting the bubble, to allow gatherings of 10 without physical distancing,” McNeil said in the teleconference update on Thursday.
“We know that a lot of you have been waiting for months to come in close contact with people you love. Dr. Strang and I are happy to tell you, you can finally get that long-awaited hug from your grandchild, a parent, or a close friend.”
Those groups are not required to be exclusive but they are strongly encouraged to maintain consistent members.
Gatherings of up to 50 — with social distancing — will now be allowed for social events like faith gatherings, sports and activities, weddings and funerals, arts events, festivals and concerts, but people must observe the two-metre distancing requirement.
Businesses that are too small to ensure physical distancing still can have no more than 10 people.
Effective Thursday, playgrounds can start reopening. Municipalities and other owners of playgrounds will need time to prepare them for reopening so Nova Scotians should not expect them to be open immediately.
A spokeswoman for the Halifax Regional Municipality said in an email that city playgrounds opened on Thursday, with staff working as fast as possible to remove caution tape that had been set up when access was restricted in March.
"We're providing a new option for close social interaction because it's important for our well-being, but everybody needs to make decisions that take into consideration the risks, their own circumstances, and how they help keep everyone safe," Strang said in a statement.
"It's important that we all continue physical distancing as much as possible, good hand hygiene, cough etiquette, staying home if you're sick and making informed decisions about the groups and activities we choose to join."
Nova Scotians are also asked to wear a mask when they feel it is necessary.
Strang is self-isolating at home after undergoing a minor procedure last week in New Brunswick related to minor skin cancer. McNeil said the procedure went well.
“Our cases of COVID are down and that's good news, but until there is a vaccine, we need to learn to live with COVID,” McNeil said. “And as we open up our province, including to visitors from other provinces, we have to be vigilant to follow the protocols.”
He said opening Nova Scotia borders between New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador for a so-called “Atlantic bubble” is under discussion before allowing further travel from the rest of the Canadian provinces. That would mean travellers to Nova Scotia from those provinces would not have to self-isolate for 14 days after they arrived.
“We have to be open to this because tourism is one of the most important industries. It employs tens of thousands of Nova Scotians and we need people to get back to work so they can feed their families and keep our communities alive.”
McNeil did not give a firm date for either move but did say it is his hope that Nova Scotia can be opened “to the country” by mid- to late-July.
‘NEVER REALLY A PLAN’
Opposition leaders were not impressed with McNeil's announcement.
Provincial NDP Leader Gary Burrill said every other province has had a clear plan with reopening stages identified except Nova Scotia.
“There wasn't this confusion with each step ... the step was defined before we got there,” Burrill said in a teleconference with reporters. “And then the authorities would say 'Now we have been talking about the day we get to, let us say, Step C. Today is the day.' Everyone knows what Step C means.
“Only in Nova Scotia have we not had the benefit of this phased-in, staged-in, publicly understood and explained overall framework for our moving through the pandemic period. And that's what has left us in a situation of whether an announcement of this sort must mean, although as welcome as it is, also carries the burden of a lot of question marks.”
Tim Houston, leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party, also slammed McNeil's government for “the lack of transparency.”
“There was never really a plan as to how we would reopen the economy, how we would reopen society,” he said. “All along, things were just kind of dropped on Nova Scotians, so I think when that happens, people tend to question what that move's based upon? What just unfolded? What fact happened? What triggers were triggered to say we can move to another step?”
He said Nova Scotians will welcome the news of relaxed restrictions but they will also have some questions about what drove the decisions before they will gain confidence to go out to businesses again.
“But we know that as restaurants and other businesses have opened up, Nova Scotians have been slow to return. The customer base has been slow to come back. And I think that's an immediate outcome of the government not providing Nova Scotians with the information that they need to feel comfortable.”
The QEII Health Sciences Centre's microbiology lab completed 580 tests on Wednesday, a provincial news release said.
It also said that while no new cases have been found, two active cases remain. The last new case was identified on Tuesday, June 9.
Strang has said in the past that the incubation period for the disease is about 14 days, so a two-week period without a new case identified would mark a major milestone.
Nova Scotia has 50,240 negative test results, 1,061 positive COVID-19 cases, and 62 deaths.
Two individuals are in hospital, one of those in ICU, the release said. Nine-hundred and ninety-seven cases are now resolved.