Visitors and support people will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination at Nova Scotia hospitals beginning next week.
Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) says proof will be required to enter all facilities effective Oct. 13, as a “layer of protection against the spread of COVID-19.”
“This includes those identified as designated family/support people by patients in the hospital, as well as those accompanying patients who are coming to a hospital or clinic for a scheduled test, appointment or procedure,” NSHA writes in a news release.
There are, however exceptions that can be made for compassionate reasons, such as emergency situations and end-of-life care.
“In these circumstances, support people will be required to follow additional infection prevention and control measures to ensure the health and safety of our patients and our teams,” NSHA says.
Proof of vaccination will not be required from patients seeking care or treatment.
The province had previously announced designated caregivers and visitors of residents in long-term care facilities will need to show proof of vaccination.
Province reporting 30 new cases, 36 recoveries
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia is reporting 30 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
The bulk of the new cases — 26 — are in Central Zone, where the province continues to say there is community spread “primarily among people aged 20 to 40 who are unvaccinated and participating in social activities.”
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Two of the new cases are in Western Zone and two are in Eastern Zone.
The province also recorded 36 recoveries, bringing the active case count to 247.
There are 16 people in hospital, including five in ICU.
On Wednesday, two schools were notified of an exposure: Rocky Lake Elementary in Bedford and Duc d’Anville Elementary in Halifax.
Duc d’Anville has had numerous cases. Since Sept. 20, parents have received nine exposure notices — seven of which have come in the last week.
During a briefing on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang defended the province’s decision not to close any schools despite the number of notifications because there was no widespread infection within the schools.
NSHA labs completed 4,201 tests on Wednesday.
On the vaccination front, the province’s data dashboard shows 75.8 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, and 81.4 per cent have had at least one dose.
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