Nova Scotia Health Authority to open dedicated COVID-19 testing sites Tuesday

The Nova Scotia Health Authority will be rolling out dedicated COVID-19 testing sites in hospitals Tuesday to increase testing in the province, the chief medical officer said at a Monday briefing.

Dr. Robert Strang said between 20 and 30 people have been tested so far for COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, but there have been no confirmed cases.

"First of all, we need to get testing out of the emergency department, as well as increase capacity," Strang said."The quickest thing to do was to find another site in the hospital."

Strang didn't say what hospitals will have the testing sites.He said more information will be released Tuesday.

Strang also said there are plans to set up community-based testing sites and possibly in-home testing by paramedics in the coming days.

Limit visits to long-term care homes

The provincehas alsointroducednew restrictions to try to limit the spread of COVID-19. People who have left the country will have to wait two weeks before going into a long-term care home upon their return to Canada.

"We're saying minimize your contact with people who are older and especially those who are older and have chronic conditions," Strang said.

The hope is themeasures will protect people who are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.

A spokesperson with theDepartment of Healthsaid the restriction does not apply to health-care workerswho have travelled outside of Canada.

The workers areasked to monitor their health and understand the risks if they become ill.

Nurses who have travelled andbecome ill will be placed on sick leave, a spokesperson with the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union said.

The province is advising people to monitor their health for 14 days after any international travel. If they feel unwell, they should stay at home.

Reserve 811 for travellersexperiencing symptoms

Strang asked Nova Scotians who have travelled outside Canada and are experiencing a fever or a new cough to call 811 to be directed to the nearest testing site.

He said there hasbeen some wait time when calling811 because of the increased volume of calls from those looking for information.

"It's really important that we preserve 811 for people who have travelled recently and who have, not just any symptoms, but people who have fever or a new cough," Strang said.

Those looking for information about the virus are asked to call the Governmentof Canada's novel coronavirus information line at1-833-784-4397 or visit their website.

Refill medicationinstead of buying 'all the toilet paper'

Strang said residents should be taking appropriate steps to prepare, but there's no need to panic.

"It's very reasonable that people buy a few extra groceries, canned goods that have the shelf life, in the possibility that you may have to be home for a period of time," he said. "But it doesn't mean you have to go out and buy all the toilet paper."

He said people who rely on medications should also refill their prescriptions ahead of time.

"There is the possibility in the coming weeks that if we get a lot of respiratory illness here in Nova Scotia, we're going to need the health system to deal with that and it won't necessarily be very easy for people to get in, for instance, a routine prescription refill."

Strang askedpeople to practise good hygieneby washing their hands, disinfecting surfaces and avoidingtouching their face.

There have been 77confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada and the country's first death was reported in British Columbia Mondayafternoon.

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