New Brunswick announces 15 new COVID-19 cases, cautions against interprovincial travel

There are 15 new cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick and an additional death linked to the virus, according to Public Health.

Seven people in the province have now died due to health complications linked to the virus. During Monday’s COVID-19 press briefing, chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell did not say where the death occurred.

“I offer my sincere sympathy to the family of the deceased,” said Russell. “Please know that all of New Brunswick grieves with you today.”

There are 89 active cases in the province, 13 of which remain under investigation, Russell said. Of the 15 new cases announced Monday, 11 are in the Saint John region, three are in the Moncton region, and one id in the Fredericton region.

“While we have a number of active cases still under investigation, we have not yet confirmed whether cases related to the ongoing outbreaks represent untraceable community transmission in Zone 1 and Zone 2,” said Russell.

On Sunday, the province announced five new coronavirus cases in the Saint John region and one in the Fredericton region. The province announced 23 new cases on Saturday, setting a new single-day record.

The five cases in the Saint John region involve three people 19 and under and two people in their 20s. The one case in the Fredericton region is an individual in their 30s.

3:02 Concerns grow as COVID-19 daily case records broken in 4 provinces

Monday’s COVID-19 briefing came after both Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador announced they are backing out of the Atlantic bubble for at least two weeks. Premier Blaine Higgs said he had no plans to pull out of what remains of the Atlantic bubble, but did caution against cross-border travel.

“Now is not the time to travel to other areas, or to do your holiday shopping,” Higgs said.

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“We need to shop local. It’s not only time to protect ourselves and each of our provinces, it’s a time to support the businesses within each of our provinces.

The bubble was formed on July 3 and allowed residents of the four provinces to travel freely within the Atlantic region without having to self-isolate.

Some still aren’t following the rules, Higgs says

Premier Higgs said that over the weekend in orange zones, police and peace officers were enforcing compliance with the single-household bubble, mask-wearing and physical distancing.

As a result, Higgs said 30 fines were handed out and at least one business had to shut down.

Higgs also noted that he’s heard of some people giving fake names when signing contract tracing lists at local restaurants.

“You’re not ‘beating the system,'” Higgs said, sternly. “You’re jeopardizing the health and welfare of maybe your neighbour, maybe your grandparents, maybe your parents.”

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Higgs concluded his opening statement by reminding New Brunswickers of the importance of staying home.

“This is not the time for us to falter. This is the time for us to go the extra mile to protect each other,” he said.

“It’s time for us to stay at home. It’s time for us to stay in our province. It’s time for us to take these two weeks to get our control back together, and then we get back to normal within Atlantic Canada.