There are now five presumptive cases of coronavirus in New Brunswick and two confirmed, bringing the province’s total to seven.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, announced Monday that one of the presumptive cases already in the province has been confirmed, while there is a new presumptive case.
The new case is a woman in her 20s who lives in southern New Brunswick who recently travelled to Greece.
“The patient was screened, confirmed and tested, and is now in self-isolation,” Russell said. “Public health officials are tracing the individual’s contacts in New Brunswick.”
READ MORE: 4 more presumptive cases of coronavirus identified in New Brunswick
The first case in New Brunswick was announced on Wednesday. That was a woman in her 50s who recently returned from France.
Four new presumptive cases were announced on Sunday, all of which were in close contact with the first case. One of those cases was confirmed on Monday, bringing the confirmed total to two.
In total, 196 COVID-19 tests have come back negative.
READ MORE: New Brunswick confirms first presumptive coronavirus case, discourages mass gatherings
Close childcare centres, Russell recommends
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During Monday’s press briefing, Russell recommended the closure of all childcare centres in the province except those that serve children of essential workers.
“The time is now for all to act to limit the spread of this virus, particularly to our most vulnerable residents,” she said.
Russell also said the following businesses and public spaces be closed starting on Tuesday:
- museums
- theatres
- performance spaces
- swimming pools, spas, saunas and water parks
- recreational sites such as ski resorts, amusement parks, trampoline centres, etc.
- cinemas and arcades
- training centres and dance, spinning, zumba and yoga centres
- arenas
- indoor soccer centres
- zoos
- aquariums
- bars
- restaurants that offer buffets
- sugar bush operations open to the public
Public health is also asking restaurant owners to limit the number of customers to 50 per cent of the capacity of their dining areas.
Russell said the actions they are taking “can and will save lives.”
“This is our opportunity, right here, right now, for all of us to make a difference in stemming the tide of the virus,” said Russell.
“We can and we must act together to flatten the curve of this epidemic.”
UNB students receive Horizon Health warning
On Monday, students at the University of New Brunswick received a notice saying that there are “presumptive cases” of COVID-19 in the university community.
In the notice, Horizon Health asked all members of the university community to monitor symptoms for 14 days.
“If you develop symptoms like headache, congestion, achiness, fever, cough or difficulty breathing between now and March 25, immediately isolate yourself … from other people and stay home from work and school,” Horizon Health said.
UNB, along with St. Thomas University and Mount Allison University, suspended all in-person classes last week. Classes are expected to resume remotely for each school for the remainder of the year.
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