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HALIFAX – Health officials are moving quickly to crack down on a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Clayton Park area of Halifax as the province’s top doctor urges New Scots to curtail their social activities.
Fifteen cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed – including a new case on Monday – since the province’s last briefing on November 3. The province reported 16 active cases on Monday.
Of the province’s 16 active cases, nine are linked to a single cluster identified in Clayton Park. They are all currently under investigation.
“I am concerned about the level of potential exposure in this industry,” Premier Stephen McNeil admitted during a press conference in Halifax.
“It’s a wake-up call for all of us,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We have been very fortunate in this province in recent months to have low or no COVID cases and, as a result, have been able to live our lives relatively normally, but … when it comes to COVID, things they can change very quickly. We are at a tipping point right now here in Nova Scotia. I had a very anxious weekend. We are at a tipping point that we all need to pay attention to. “
Nova Scotia Health is working to identify, isolate and test known contacts of recently confirmed cases.
While the cluster has been identified in the Clayton Park area, Strang said there have been potential exposures across Halifax Regional Municipality related to the cluster, noting that Nova Scotia Health has issued several exposure warnings in the past few days.
“As we investigate positive cases, we can learn that a person spent time in the community setting, such as a restaurant or shop, while they were potentially contagious,” Strang explained. “If we’re not sure we’ve found all contacts, we send out public exposure notices to ensure people who may have been in contact are aware.”
Strang is urging people who have visited the following locations at the following times to call 811 to make arrangements to take the test:
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Montana’s Restaurant in Bayers Lake from 6pm until closing on October 25th
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Andrews United Church on Coburg Road in Halifax at 6pm on October 25th
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Bitter End on Argyle Street in Halifax from 9pm to November 2nd close.
“If anyone was in any of these three locations during that date and time, it’s critically important that they know they may have been exposed to COVID-19, and even if they think they haven’t come into contact with anyone, too. if they’re not experiencing symptoms, we ask those people to call 811, ”Strang said.
However, he stopped before confirming the spread of the cluster-related community, calling the investigation “complex”.
“We’re at a point where we can’t say there is a wide spread of the community, but we can’t say there isn’t either,” Strang said.
The province is working on a plan to make testing faster and easier for the people who are connected to the cluster and is also working to set up mobile testing in the Clayton Park area.
“We are not targeting the community or any individual. We are trying to wrap our arms around a geographic area in the Central Zone, to protect people, to support people and to make sure we contain the virus to prevent further spread, ”McNeil said.
Strang said there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any school in the Clayton Park area, but says schools are on notice and may need to switch to a mixed model at some point if the cases in area increase.
He also said the province is not tightening any restrictions at this point and does not consider this to be Nova Scotia’s second wave of COVID-19.
Should Nova Scotia experience a second wave, Strang said the province will not be blocked to the same extent it was during the first wave, unless “absolutely necessary”.
“There is no doubt it was the right approach in the first wave, but this time … our plan is, if possible, to adopt a much more focused approach based on geography, various sectors and high-risk populations.” .
NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
As the province investigates a group of new cases, Strang urges New Scots to cut back on their social activities and avoid non-essential travel.
Strang said the New Scots should also continue to restrict social activities to people in their family or close the 10-year social bubble.
“Ideally we would have a few and ideally only one of those neighboring social bubbles, the people we interact with,” he said. “We need to start reducing our social activities, paying close attention to the number of people we interact with.”
Strang also said he is concerned that people are traveling outside the Atlantic bubble for non-essential reasons, especially as other provinces are experiencing a second wave of COVID-19.
“We are in the midst of a pandemic,” he said. Non-essential travel in and out of Atlantic Canada must be stopped. This is no time for casual visits. “
STRONGER SELF-INSULATION REQUIREMENTS
The province also announced on Monday it is introducing stricter self-isolation requirements for non-essential travelers from outside the Atlantic bubble and their guests.
Anyone arriving in Nova Scotia from outside the Atlantic bubble for non-essential reasons is required to remain in quarantine alone, away from others, for 14 days.
With immediate effect, if a non-essential traveler from outside the bubble cannot isolate himself, all family members must also isolate themselves for 14 days. No one can leave the property for 14 days and visitors are not allowed.
POTENTIAL EXPOSURES IN SOBEYS, NSLC IN BEDFORD
Nova Scotia Health is warning of two new potential COVID-19 exposures at the following stores in Bedford:
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Sobeys at 961 Bedford Highway between 8pm and 10pm on November 6th.
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NSLC at 955 Bedford Highway between 8pm and 9pm on November 6th.
Anyone who has visited those places during those times is encouraged to monitor for symptoms and call 811 if they experience symptoms. Anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 can develop symptoms up to and including November 20.
1 NEW CASE OF COVID-19
Nova Scotia reported a new case of COVID-19 on Monday in the central area of the province.
The province says the new case is a close contact of a previously reported case.
Five previously reported cases are now considered resolved, bringing the number of active cases in the province to 16.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority laboratory completed 658 Nova Scotia tests on Sunday.
However, the province says the full number of completed tests and negative test results from labs outside the Central Zone are not included in Monday’s test numbers due to a glitch.
The province says those numbers will be updated when the problem is resolved and the information becomes available.
To date, Nova Scotia has had 117,623 negative test results, 1,129 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 1,048 cases are now considered resolved. Sixty-five people have died from the virus, leaving 16 active cases in the province.
There is no one in the hospital due to COVID-19.
The confirmed cases of the province are aged between 10 and over 90 years.
60% of cases are female and 40% male.
There are confirmed cases throughout the province, but most have been identified in the central area, which contains the Halifax regional municipality.
The provincial government says cumulative cases by area may change as data is updated in Panorama, the province’s electronic information system.
The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where the sample was collected.
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Western zone: 58 cases
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Central Area: 940 cash desks
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North Zone: 76 cases
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Eastern zone: 55 cases
LIST OF SYMPTOMS
Anyone who has a new or worsening fever or cough, or two or more of the following new or worsening symptoms, are encouraged to take an online test or call 811 to determine if they should be tested for COVID-19:
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Burning throat
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Headache
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Shortness of breath
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Runny nose / nasal congestion
SELF-INSULATION AND MANDATORY MASKS
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to self-isolate at home, away from the public, for 14 days.
Anyone traveling to Nova Scotia from outside the Atlantic region for non-essential reasons is required to self-isolate for 14 days and must complete a self-certification form before traveling to the province. Travelers must isolate themselves, away from others. If they cannot self-isolate on their own, the whole family must also self-isolate for 14 days.
Residents of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador are not required to self-isolate when traveling to Nova Scotia, but must be prepared to provide proof of their place of residence at the provincial borders.
Visitors from outside the Atlantic region who have already self-isolated in another Atlantic province for 14 days can travel to Nova Scotia without having to isolate themselves again.
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