Two temporary foreign workers in the Moncton area are among the three new cases of COVID-19 that New Brunswick announced on Monday.
Chief public health officer Dr. Jennifer Russell said the workers have had minimal contact with others since arriving in New Brunswick and tested positive on their 10th day after arriving in the province.
Russell says it shows the protocols in place are working.
“Sometimes, even if we do all the right thing, the virus finds a way,” Russell said during a Monday news conference. “It is very tenacious.”
READ MORE: New Brunswick reports no new cases on Sunday
Russell said one of the foreign workers is in their 20s and the other is in their 30s. A temporary foreign worker was also diagnosed with COVID-19 last week.
The third case, Russell said, involved a health-care worker in their 20s at the Campbellton Regional Hospital, which makes eight health-care workers in Zone 5 who have tested positive.
The three new cases brings New Brunswick’s total up to 160, with 129 having recovered, including nine connected to the Zone 5 outbreak.
Four patients are hospitalized with one in an intensive care unit. As of Monday, 37,509 tests have been conducted.
There have been two deaths, and the number of active cases is 29.
READ MORE: Doctor blamed for Campbellton COVID-19 outbreak seeks public apology from premier
Except for the Campbellton area, all regions of New Brunswick remain in the yellow stage of the province’s recovery plan.
The yellow phase includes:
- Household bubbles can be extended to close friends and family. Indoor gatherings in private homes remain at 10 or fewer.
- Non-regulated health professionals and businesses can open, including acupuncturists and naturopaths.
- Personal service businesses can open, including barbers, hairstylists, spas, estheticians, manicurists, pedicurists and tattoo artists.
- Outdoor gatherings of 50 or fewer with physical distancing, indoors for religious services are now allowed.
- An increase in elective surgeries and other non-emergency health-care services.
- Outdoor visitation with physical distancing in long-term care facilities.
- Swimming pools, saunas and waterparks, subject to the gathering limit of 50 for any separate area, pool or feature, can open
- Gyms and yoga and dance studios can open.
- Rinks and indoor recreational facilities, subject to the gathering limit of 50 for a separate area or spectators, can open.
- Pool halls and bowling alleys can open.
- Low-contact team sports are permitted.
Through the “yellow phase,” unnecessary travel into New Brunswick is still not allowed.
The Campbellton area remains at the orange phase.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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