N.L. to lift mandatory mask rules on Tuesday, says premier

Newfoundland and Labrador will liftits mask mandate at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Premier Andrew Furey announced at Friday's COVID-19 briefing.

Starting Tuesday, nearly a year after the provincial government introducedthe public health rule, people will no longer have to wear a mask indoors in many public spaces.

"This is a big day for Newfoundland and Labrador, and I know it comes with some anxieties and some fears," Furey said Friday.

"Butthe epidemiology supports it, the rates of vaccines support it, and it is the right move for the right time."

The province reported two new cases of COVID-19on Friday, both in the Eastern Health region and related to international travel.

Both people, a man and a woman, are over 70 years old.

The province also reported one recovery in the Eastern Health region, and now has seven active cases, including two crew members who were aboard ships anchored off Newfoundland and remain in hospital.

The province also reportedone new presumptive positive case in the Eastern Health region. Once presumptive positive cases are confirmed, they are reported in public updates as new confirmed cases.

Watch the full Aug. 6 update:

Furey encouraged people who feel uncomfortable with the changesto continue wearing masks if they wish. He said the situation and the decisions being made are fluid. If coronavirus variants change, he said, the province will change with them.

"That could include measures like reintroducing mandatory masks in indoor environments,"he said.

Indoor capacity increase

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said other public health restrictions will also be lifted Tuesday.

Up to 500 people will be permitted at indoor gatherings,with physical distancing.

Fitzgerald said masks will not be required in most indoor public spaces, including restaurants, stores, gyms, personal service businesses and performance venues.

However, Fitzgerald said, masks will still be mandatory inside congregate living facilities for seniors and within regional health authority facilities.

"Some businesses may also choose to maintain the mask requirement based on their own COVIDpolicies, and while not required in most public indoor spaces, masking is still strongly recommended especially when you are not always able to physically distance from others and you don't know their vaccination status," she said.

"Please be kind and do not judge somebody who continues to wear a mask to protect themselves and others."

Fitzgerald told reporters other jurisdictions that have removed their mask mandates still have significant numbersof people reporting they still regularly wear masks, andshe anticipates people in N.L. will continue to wear masks in public spaces.

Potential fourth wave

It's been just over a month since N.L. lifted its travel restrictions to allow non-essential visitors into the province.

Fitzgerald said the province is continuing to see sustained low case counts, with only eight new cases since the reopening of the border.

That does not include the cases on the vessels that were rerouted to N.L. due to sickness aboard, Fitzgerald said.

While the province is seeing low numbers in new cases, other Canadian provinces are seeing a spike.

Fitzgerald said the country saw 5,703 new cases between July 27 and Aug. 2, which is a 60 per cent increase from the previous week.

"All indications are that a fourth wave will startin Canada. However, how this unfolds in the weeks and months ahead depends largely on vaccination rates," she said.

Fitzgerald said the delta variant is a force in the fourth wave and is becoming the dominant circulatingstrain. She said the variant accounts for76 per centof all samples beingtested in the country, and accounts for 99 per centof newcases in the U.K.and 82 per centin the U.S.

As of Thursday, the provincehad fully vaccinated 60 per cent of its eligible population, while84 per cent have received at least one dose.

Fitzgerald said she hopes the two-dose number will reach what is currently the single dose percentage, adding it would be ideal if that number was a little higher at 85 to 88 per cent.

"We need to get there as quickly as we can,"she said.

"Modelling suggests that every percentage increase in the proportion of people fully vaccinated can have an impact on the size of a fourth wave and reduce the risk of overwhelming our health-care system."

Furey said Education Minister Tom Osborne, along with Fitzgerald, will announce a return to school plan "shortly."

Fitzgerald said the goal is get kids back to school to as normal an environment as possible, andwith high vaccination rates it should be attainable.

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