N.L. reports first new case since May
Man returned from Texas and followed protocol upon arrival
Newfoundland and Labrador has its first confirmed positive case of COVID-19 in 43 days.
The Department of Health and Community Services reports it was a local resident in the Eastern Health region who returned from travel to Texas.
The man, who is in his 50s, did not pass through the Atlantic provinces, and followed the protocol to self-isolate upon arrival.
“While en route to Newfoundland and Labrador, the individual was not symptomatic nor considered infectious,” the department said in a statement.
“As the individual was not symptomatic during travel to the province and followed the self-isolation protocol upon his return, the risk to the public is low at this time.”
The province opened its doors to travel within the Atlantic
region a week ago, but more than 8,000 exemptions to a travel ban have been granted since it was imposed in May, and residents have been free to travel outside the province and return all along.
Anyone entering from outside the Atlantic provinces has to self-isolate for 14 days.
Public health officials have repeatedly said new cases should be expected, and will not necessarily herald a return to stricter health measures.
“The expectation of zero cases throughout the remainder of this pandemic is neither sustainable nor realistic,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said Wednesday.
CROSBIE COMMENTS
Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie renewed his call Friday for enhanced border screening in light of talks to open all Canadian borders as early as this month.
“The Official Opposition has been advocating for months for enhanced screening measures at our points of entry, but it continues to fall on deaf ears with this government,” Crosbie stated in a news release. “Why wouldn't we implement an added layer of due diligence at our borders? We need to use every weapon in our arsenal to protect our population so that we can fully open our economy and get our health-care system back to normal.”
“The reality is we need to adapt and live with COVID19 for the foreseeable future. However, it doesn't mean that we can't take reasonable precautions, like testing at points of entry, to prevent an event that will force us to close our economy yet again,” he said.
Crosbie added that compliance with self-isolation should be monitored to ensure it's working as intended.
Screening policies at airports actually fall under the federal
Department of Transportation.
The federal government announced last month it will introduce fever checks at 15 airports, including St. John's, by the end of September.
Fitzgerald has said in the past that COVID-19 tests only represent a snapshot in time, and that mandating self-isolation for incoming travellers is the most effective tool for preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
And while some countries have also adopted testing people for fever at the border, Fitzgerald is also skeptical of that.
“The evidence on temperature screening is not unanimous, so there is still some debate as to the effectiveness of using such measures,” she said last month.