N.B. has announced a winter action plan to combat COVID-19 infection

Key takeaways:

• Health Minister Dorothy Shephard of New Brunswick has launched a three-tiered strategy to curb COVID-19 spread this winter.
• Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, has reported that two additional persons have died due to COVID-19.

On Friday, N.B. Health Minister Dorothy Shephard announced a three-tiered action plan to combat COVID-19 spread over the winter.

Shephard believes that when the weather becomes colder, more New Brunswickers will stay indoors, increasing the danger of COVID-19 spreading.

She stated that the first stage of the winter action plan will take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday and last until the spring.

The first level is identical to the province’s present COVID-19 limitations, but with a few exceptions.

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Casual inside meetings in residences will be limited to 20 people, while informal outdoor parties will be restricted to no more than 50 people.

“However, everyone should try to keep their contacts to a minimum,” she advised.

Unvaccinated people should avoid indoor meetings, according to Shephard, because they are more likely to develop COVID-19 and become extremely ill.

Masks will also be needed in outdoor public places where physical separation is impossible to maintain and physical separation in public locations where proof of vaccination is not required, including malls, grocery stores, retail stores, salons, and spas.

Businesses, according to Shephard, have the choice of enforcing physical separation or checking for proof of immunization.

The remaining two phases of the action plan, she said, will have stricter regulations, such as restricted home bubbles, reduced space capacity, and limited mobility in and out of afflicted areas.

The number of active cases, the rate of positive tests, and hospitalizations will all be considered in determining a change in level.

Shephard agreed that the outbreak has left many “weary and upset” but cautioned that more restrictions could be imposed.

“Everyone wants a normal Christmas, and that’s what we want for you,” she says.

“We have the power to maintain ourselves in level one. While the government can issue regulations and suggestions, it is ultimately up to each individual to do the right thing.”

The Government of New Brunswick’s website has a complete breakdown of the action plan levels and what they contain.

97 additional cases have been reported, with two deaths.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, has reported that two additional persons have died due to COVID-19.

On Friday, the province reported 97 new cases of COVID-19. There are now 711 active cases after 75 recoveries.

Russell emphasized the need to get the COVID-19 vaccine because unvaccinated people continue to be overrepresented in case numbers.

“Because unvaccinated people make up such a small percentage of the province’s population, they are overrepresented in our case figures,” she explained.

According to Russell, 8.8 instances of COVID-19 per 100,000 vaccinated New Brunswickers on Friday. Unvaccinated people had a rate of 32.9 percent.

“That’s nearly four times the rate of fully vaccinated people,” Russell added.

Unvaccinated people also have a rate of ICU admissions that is more than ten times greater than fully vaccinated people.

COVID-19 booster shot eligibility will be extended to those in their 50s starting next week, followed by persons in their 40s in the coming weeks, she said.

In addition, the province is presently monitoring 55 Novel Brunswickers who have recently visited an area where the new Omicron variety has been discovered.

Source: Global News

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