2 N.B. regions forced back into orange phase after 13 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed

Two parts of New Brunswick have been forcedback into the more restrictive orange phase of COVID-19 recovery after 13 new cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 37.

The changefor the Moncton health region (Zone 1) andCampbellton health region (Zone 5) will take effect at midnight, Premier Blaine Higgs announced during a news conference in Fredericton.

It's based on the recommendation of Dr. Jennifer Russell, theprovince's chief medical officer of health," because of additional potential public exposure to the virus identified through the investigation of existing cases, possible community transmission and reports of low compliance in some higher-risk settings," he said.

There is an outbreak in Moncton at theManoir Notre-Dame special care home,affecting 19 people, and Sugarloaf Senior High School in Campbellton has confirmed a positive casethe first reported school-related case of COVID-19 since New Brunswick schools reopened in September.

The 13new cases reported Friday include one in the Moncton region and12 in the Campbelltonregion.

"It is not an easy choice to move any area of this province to orange, but we must all use the tools available for us to slow down the spread of this virus," said Higgs.

"Ifeveryone follows the simple rules in place, they will protect us. I am confident we'll be able to keep these cases contained and quickly flatten the curve once again."

Residents in the two affected zoneswill needto stay within two-household bubbles within the orange zones, said Higgs. Unlike the previous version of the orange phase, bubbles can extend to include caregivers and immediate family members, he said.

Some businesses will have to close, including"close contact personal services," such as barbers, hair stylists and spas.

Zones 1, 5 move back to more restrictive orange phase

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Premier Blaine Higgs and Dr. Jennifer Russell announced Moncton and Campbellton regions will move back to the orange level of the COVID-19 recovery plan.

Gyms, fitness facilities andrecreational centres, casinos, amusement centres, bingo halls, arcades, cinemas and large live performance venues will also have to close.

Food, beverage and retail businesscan operate under a COVID-19 operational plan, but seated venues must keep a record of patrons.

Daycares and kindergarten to Grade12 schools can also remain open under strict guidance, with virtual learning to be used for at-risk populations.

Outdoor gatherings must be limited to 10 or fewer with physical distancing. Indoor religious services, weddings and funerals are permitted with 10 people or fewer.

Travel in and out of the two impacted zones is being discouraged, except for essential reasons, said Higgs.

"If you live in another zone [and] travel on the Trans-Canada Highway, which passes through Greater Moncton, please do not stop at this time."

Possible exposure

A total of 150 people are self-isolating as a result of the outbreak at the Manoir Notre-Damein Moncton, said Russell.

The new potential public exposure identified involves the Moncton McDonald's restauranton Morton Avenue, she said.

People who visited the restaurant fromSept. 28 to Oct. 5, between 8 a.m. and noon,should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days. If any symptoms develop, they shouldself-isolate and take the self-assessment online or call Tele-Care 811 to get tested.

The pandemic is not done with us. And this week has shown us that in no uncertain terms.- Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health

Russell could not immediately say how many people in the Campbellton region are self-isolating.

But the VitalitHealth Network announced Friday that18 of its employees from the Restigouche(Campbellton) region arein isolation, either because they have COVID-19 or were found to be close contacts through Public Health's contact tracing.

"The pandemic is not done with us. And this week has shown us that in no uncertain terms," said Russell.

There's no indication of a link between the Moncton outbreak and the 13 cases in theCampbelltonregion, she said, butcontact tracing is still underway.

13 new COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick on Friday

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Dr. Jennifer Russell announced 13 new COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick on Friday.

Russell confirmed the sourceof the outbreak at the Manoir Notre-Dame special care home is "associated with travel."

She did not say whether the person was travelling for essential work and therefore exempt from the 14-day isolation requirement.

But Russell did say the current modified isolation rules for essential workers will be discussed and possibly changed next week.

"We're going to see how we can make it a little bit more safe," she said. "Maybe we'll include other things like regular testing toreduce risks for people who work in other provinces."

The investigation into the Campbellton cases continues,said Russell. One of them is travel-related.

The two regions will remain under the orange phase until the case numbers decrease and "everything is under control,"said Russell.

"I think we can expect about two weeks for assessment intervals because that's the incubation period of the virus. But as we continue our investigation and testing, it's possible that we'll find more cases in other areas."

Impact on health services

The VitalitHealth Network has cancelled most visits to the Campbellton Regional Hospital because of the growing number of cases in the area.

"This is a precautionary measure to protect patients, visitors and employees," it said in a statement.

Visits to the obstetric, pediatric and palliative care units are allowed but restricted to one designated visitor per patient.

Patients who will receive medical assistance in dying are allowed to have two designated visitors, one at a time,except when one of the visitorsrequires assistance to go to the patient's bedside.

There is also a temporary reduction of some services at the St. JosephCommunity Health Centre in Dalhousie.

Blood workservices are closed until further notice.

The walk-in clinic and collaborative practice will both be closed on Monday. Patients who need to consult a physician are asked to call Tele-Care 811or to go to another walk-in clinic.

If certain ambulatory care services are impacted, the affected patients will be contacted to rebook their appointments or be directedto the Campbellton Regional Hospital, according to the release.

Because of the outbreak in the Moncton area, patients with non-urgent symptoms are asked to avoid visiting the emergency department of theDr. Georges L. Dumont University Hospital Centre or the Moncton Hospital.

The ERs remain available for those with urgent, critical or emergent medical conditions, but those experiencing non-urgent symptoms can expect long wait times, theVitalitand Horizon networks advised in a joint statement Friday.

Other options for care can include contacting a family physician or pharmacist, visiting an after-hours or walk-in clinic or phoning Tele-Care 811, they said.

Anyone exhibiting mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19 shouldcomplete the online self-assessment by visiting www.gnb.ca/coronavirus or call Tele-Care 811.

New cases

The newMonctoncase involves an individual in their 40s.

The 12newCampbellton cases include one person in their 20s, one in their 30s, four people in their 40s, one person in their 50s, four people in their 60s and one person in their 70s.

All of the cases are under investigation and the people are self-isolating, said Russell.

Of the 37 cases in the province, 21 are in the Monctonregion, two are in the Saint Johnregion (Zone 2), one is in the Frederictonregion (Zone 3), and 13 are in the Campbelltonregion.

Three people are in hospital, nonein ICU.

Mask use to be monitored

The rest of the province remains in the less strict yellow phase of COVID-19 recovery, but people must continue to follow Public Health measures, said Higgs.

That includes a new rule that came into effect at midnight Thursday, making masks mandatory in most indoor public spaces.

Peace officers will be monitoring public spaces across the province in the days ahead to ensure people arecomplying, he said.

"We have no desire to issue fines, but we do want to encourage people to change their behaviour. We all have a responsibility to wear masks to protect the people around us."

He said he'soptimistic the number of people wearing masks will "improvesignificantly."

New Brunswick has had 238 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. Two people have died and 199 have recovered.

On Thursday, 808 tests were done, for atotal of 83,173 tests during the pandemic.