New Brunswick now has more active novel coronavirus cases than at any time since the pandemic began.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, announced on Monday six new cases of COVID-19 in the province.
The new figures moved the province’s total number of active cases to 76. Seventy-two of the cases have been reported since Wednesday.
Russell stressed that the new cases are a reminder that “COVID doesn’t take holidays” and that New Brunswickers must remain aware of COVID-19 restrictions.
The six new cases are related to the ongoing outbreaks in the Moncton and Campbellton area with each zone having three new cases reported on Monday.
There are now 40 active cases in the Moncton region, which is currently experiencing an outbreak at Notre-Dame Manor, a long-term care home.
There are now 32 cases in the Campbellton region and two cases in both the Saint John and Fredericton areas.
“The next 14 days will be critical to how we see things unfolding here,” said Russell.
She said that the province will be closely monitoring as residents return from different health zones as a result of the Thanksgiving holiday season.
Russell said she expects more cases to appear over the next few days.
At this time there are five people in hospital with one of them currently in intensive care.
As of Monday, there have been 278 total cases in the province with 200 people recovered. Two people have died from the virus.
So far the province has completed 85,792 COVID-19 tests.
Dominic Cardy, the province’s education minister, announced a new confirmed case at a school in the province.
The new case is connected to Janeville Elementary School in Janeville, N.B.
Cardy said all parties at risk of being exposed have been contacted and that school will open as planned on Tuesday.
There are now four schools in the province that have reported a confirmed case of COVID-19.
In addition to Janeville Elementary School the province says Sugarloaf High School in Campbellton, N.B. reported a case on Thursday evening, Academie Notre-Dame in Dalhousie, N.B., reported a case on Saturday and L.E. Reinsborough School in Dalhousie reported a case on Sunday.
Cardy announced that students at L.E. Reinsborough School and Académie Notre-Dame will be out of class Tuesday for an “operational response day” while Sugarloaf High School students will participate in online learning on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Moncton and Campbellton zones remain in the orange level of New Brunswick’s COVID-19 recovery plan. In both regions, masks are mandatory in all indoor and outdoor public places.
All other zones remain at the yellow level of New Brunswick’s COVID-19 recovery plan where masks are mandatory in all indoor public places.
The education minister stressed that all schools in the province’s yellow zones will continue as they have been throughout the school year.
The schools in the orange zones are already under stricter guidelines.
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