NS reports 17 new cases of COVID-19; School costs questioned by NSTU Prize

Halifax – Nova Scotia on Wednesday reported 17 new Kovid-19 cases. With 32 cases previously reported now recovering, the total number of active cases has dropped to 127.

A total of 16 new cases were identified on Wednesday in the Central Zone, one of which was related to the case St. Margaret’s Bay Elementary Schooll, which was first reported on Tuesday evening. Another case has been identified in the Northern Hemisphere and is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada.

“We have a week to restrict travel in this part of the province and beyond, with new tougher sanctions in the greater Halifax area,” Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said in a news release. “These are important steps to help keep the virus at bay. We all need to continue to follow protocols so that we can keep the spread slow and secure with each other.”

It is the fifth school to be temporarily closed since the start of the Second Wave.

The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union said a safe and sustainable way is needed to keep schools open and keep COVID numbers low.

“Right now our approach is completely reactive,” Paul Wozni said. “Let COVID do it in the front door, and then we will close the schools and hope it solves the problem and it was not promised to parents and students and staff at the beginning of the year.”

The Minister of Education on Wednesday announced how 3 14.3 million will be spent since the federal government makes a safe return to the Class Fund.

That money is part of a $ 48 million package announced this summer.

The money was intended for various projects such as repairing ventilation systems in schools, promoting healthy eating programs, purchasing personal protective equipment such as masks and hand sanitizers, and purchasing 950 touchless water filling stations.

“These stations will help students and staff refill water bottles in a way that supports public health directives and will provide a long-term solution for most schools with water taps that need to be replaced due to lead water issues,” said Education Minister Zach Churchill.

Wozniak is concerned about some costs.

“Federal safe schools are spending money to fix lead in water problems,” Wozni said. “Is that what money is meant for?”

While there are some positive aspects to funding, Wozniak also has questions.

“The minister assured us before the start of the school year that the ventilation had already been fully inspected, so why do we need 7 2.7 million to do a continuous inspection of the ventilation already achieved?”

Wozniak said the government continues to ignore what schools really need.

“Reduce class sizes, keep students completely away, ensure proper ventilation and install hand washing in every classroom and make sure everyone who can safely wear the mask wears it every day,” Wozni said. “We don’t have the funds to address key issues that will allow schools to stay open in the long run.”

CASE BREAKDOWN

On Tuesday, Nova Scotia Health Authority labs completed 3,295 Nova Scotia tests.

Nova Scotia Health said 247 tests were performed on the fast-test pop-up site in Halifax and 453 on the fast-test pop-up site in Wolfville.

A positive test result was noted at the Wolfville site on Tuesday. The person was directed to self-isolate and was referred for standard testing.

Nova Scotia has completed 69,559 tests since October 1st. During the second wave, there were 243 positive COVID-19 cases, no deaths and 116 cases are now resolved, with 127 active cases remaining. No one is currently in hospital. Cases are more than 10 to 70 years old.

“I’m glad our case number has been very low over the last few days,” Dr Robert Strong, chief medical officer of Nova Scotia, said in a statement. “This does not mean that we can ignore existing restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak began in March, a total of 1,332 cases and 1,140 cases have been resolved in Nova Scotia. 65 people died.

Fifty-seven percent of the cases were women and 43 percent were men.

Cases have been confirmed throughout the province, but most have been identified in the Central Zone, which includes the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The regional government says the cumulative cases may change zone-wise as the data in the province’s electronic information system panorama is updated.

The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where their sample was collected.

• Western Zone: 62 cases

• Central Zone: 1,134 cases

• North Zone: 81 cases

• East Zone: 55 cases

Another case was confirmed at Central Zone School

One of the new cases identified in the Central Zone was at St. Margaret’s Bay Elementary School.

Five schools will be temporarily closed after COVID-19 cases are linked to them.

At Bedford South School, tests are still taking place, but there have been no new cases since a case was reported.

“That school will be closed until at least next Monday, then we will re-evaluate, but the cooperation from the community and the returning epidemiology is great,” McNeill said during a news update Tuesday.

Mobile testing units have been launched

The province is Launched two mobile testing units To support further COVID-19 testing in communities where needed.

The mobile units are 20-foot vans that can travel to communities around the province. They are staffed by members of the public health team who are trained in testing and investigative processes, such as public health nurses.

On Wednesday, one of the two mobile units will be located at the Northeast Kings Education Center in Canning, NS – one of four schools in the province that have been closed due to the COVID-19 case being confirmed.

“The Nova Scotia Health Authority has done an excellent job of placing these mobile units in a very short period of time for better assisted testing in the communities and I thank them for this work,” Dr. Robert Strong said in a news release. Wednesday. “These mobile units are another tool in our toolbox that should target our testing in areas and situations where we need to investigate public health and help manage cases and prevent further spread.”

COVID ALERT APP

Canada’s COVID-19 warning app is available in Nova Scotia.

The app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play, notifies users if they have been tested positive for COVID-19.

List of symptoms

Anyone with a fever or a new or worse cough, or who has two or more of the following new or worsening symptoms, is encouraged to take the test online or call 811 to find out if they need to be tested for COVID-19:

• Sore throat

• Headache

• Shortness of breath

• Nasal congestion / nasal congestion

Self restraint

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should stay home alone, away from people, at home for 14 days.

Anyone traveling to Nova Scotia from outside the Atlantic for unwanted reasons is required to self-isolate for 14 days and fill out a self-declaration form before arriving in the province. Pilgrims should be kept away from others. If they are unable to self-isolate, their entire home must also be self-isolated for 14 days.

Residents of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are not required to self-isolate when traveling to Nova Scotia, but they must be prepared to prove their place of residence within regional boundaries.

Visitors from outside the Atlantic region who have already been self-isolated in another Atlantic province for 14 days can travel back to Nova Scotia without self-isolation.