The Government of Nova Scotia has declared a provincial state of emergency. Today at a press briefing, Premier Steve MacNeil, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang other top officials updated the public on the latest restrictions. Tighter measures were put in place after some Nova Scotians were not taking social distancing seriously enough. Here are the highlights of the recent changes:
- No more gatherings in groups greater than five people
- Continued social distancing, stay at least two metres apart from each other
- All public parks are closed. Anyone in a public park will be considered to be trespassing.
- Police officers can now enforce social distancing and self-isolation
- Mandatory 14-day self-isolation for anyone coming in to Nova Scotia, even if coming in from another part of Canada
- Dentist offices are closed unless it is an emergency
- New fines introduced: If individuals are found to violate the above measures they will be fined $1000. Businesses will be fined $7500. Fines can be given on multiple days.
In the next 1-2 days, Nova Scotia will double its COVID-19 testing capacity. We will no longer need to send tests out of the province to be verified.
Dr. Strang also emphasized that though physical restrictions are tightening, we still need to support each other as a community.
I couldn’t agree more with doing everything possible to flatten the curve. It is great to see so many people listening to their public health officials. Let’s get everyone on board.
