Shannex’s Parkland Saint John facility also confirmed that it now has 20 active cases of COVID-19, including 13 residents and seven staff.
Outbreak at another adult-residential facility
Public Health also declared an outbreak at Foyer Ste-Elizabeth Friday, a 50-bed nursing home located in Baker-Brook, in Zone 4.
Following a confirmed case of COVID-19 on Thursday, Public Health said it started an investigation at the facility.
“Contact tracing has begun and members of the Provincial Rapid Outbreak Management Team will conduct testing of the facility’s residents and staff today,” said Public Health in a statement.
Travel restrictions
The province announced that travel into New Brunswick is now further restricted and will be permitted only for work, or medical reasons; obtaining essential supplies for the communities of Pointe-à-la-Croix and Listuguj First Nation, in Quebec; and child custody or compassionate reasons if approved by Public Health.
Under the new restrictions, the province said Canadian residents who own property in the province or who have family members residing in New Brunswick will no longer be permitted to enter the province.
“These new measures are being taken to keep everyone safe,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “The inconvenience is small when compared to the illness this will prevent and the lives this will save.”
Education Minister Dominic Cardy said at a coronavirus briefing that he’s just as concerned on Friday as he was last March, citing the new COVID-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom as part of the reason.
He said the reason the province has seen such success is the willingness of residents to follow public health guidelines — rules, he points out, that have changed when evidence has suggested they do.
Cardy is also reminding families that if there’s a case identified within a school, those who need to know will be notified.
“No news is good news,” he said.
Cardy said he won’t hesitate to close schools, should public health recommend it, though that would create numerous challenges.
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