Nova Scotia reports 2 new COVID-19 cases, pop-up testing site made available in Eskasoni

Nova Scotia reports two new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, for the third day in a row, bringing the total number of active cases to 38.

One of the new cases is located in the central zone and the other in the western zone. Both cases are close contacts of previously reported cases.

Since Oct. 1, the beginning of the second wave, Nova Scotia has completed 99,599 tests and confirmed 358 positive COVID-19 cases.

“We reported low numbers of new positive cases of COVID-19 for the last several days. Most of the cases continue to be connected with previously reported cases or travel outside of Canada,” Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, said in a briefing Monday.

Strang said the number of active cases continues to go down as well as the number of contacts per case.

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In the lead-up to Christmas, Strang is also encouraging people to keep their gatherings small and avoid crowds, and to stay as close to home as possible during the holidays.

Stephen McNeil also announced in a briefing that a pop-up site for COVID-19 testing will be made available in Eskasoni on Tuesday and Wednesday. Anyone who is asymptomatic can get tested there.

On Monday, new restrictions to prevent any possible surge of COVID-19 over the holiday period took effect in the province.

In-person dining at Halifax restaurants will remain closed, while in the rest of the province, licensed establishments will have to stop service by 10 p.m. and close by 11 p.m.

The complete list of restrictions is available here.

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Since the start of the pandemic, Nova Scotia has confirmed 1,445 cases of COVID-19, of which 1,339 are considered resolved.

The province has completed 221,416 tests to date.