Public health is investigating a new COVID-19 case in Nova Scotia, the province said in its daily update.
The case is a worker who entered Nova Scotia and was exempt from self-isolation for work purposes, according to an emailed statement from the Department of Health and Wellness. The person later found out they had tested positive for COVID-19.
"They had completed a COVID-19 test in another province and received the results once in Nova Scotia," said Marla McInnis, media relations advisor for the department.
Public Health said the case won't be included in the total number of positive cases because it was identified outside Nova Scotia.
Two active cases remain in the province as of Friday, Sept. 11.
Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 1,212 tests on Thursday and there were no new cases identified through these tests.
In another press release, the province announced it will be easing self-isolation restrictions for rotational workers who are residents of Nova Scotia and travel to other parts of Canada for work.
The changes won't apply to rotational workers who work outside Canada.
Premier Stephen McNeil said in the release that self-isolation can be difficult for these workers as they continuously travel back and forth.
"We want to ensure that the self-isolation requirement does not negatively impact the health, well-being and family lives of rotational workers, so we are making changes," he said.
People, such as an Alberta oil worker, who have a set work schedule where they alternate between living in Nova Scotia and working outside the province will be allowed a list of activities to do alone or with their household members starting today.
Workers will still be prohibited from being in contact with people outside their household, unless it was for a medical appointment. Restricted activities include:
- entering public spaces such as schools, grocery stores, shopping malls, banks, religious institutions, and restaurants or bars.
- attending indoor and outdoor gatherings
- visiting people from outside their household
- allowing people from outside their household to visit them on their property or in their home
- volunteering or working in any capacity that requires them to be in contact with people outside their household.
A worker will no longer have to maintain physical distancing from household members unless the worker becomes unwell. Household members do not need to self-isolate unless they become unwell.
If a worker encounters someone outside their household while doing any of the allowed activities, they must wear a mask and keep a distance of two metres. Activities allowed effective immediately include:
- spending time outside on their own property
- going for a drive
- going for a walk, run, hike, bike or ATV ride for exercise and recreation off their property
- visiting a park, beach or other outdoor public space
- spending time at their cabin or vacation home (or a rental location) within the province, following the same rules as if at home
- dropping off and picking up household members at school, work or recreational activities without getting out of the vehicle
- no-contact pick-up of groceries or other items purchased online without getting out of the vehicle
- attending a drive-in theatre without getting out of the vehicle
- going through a drive-thru, for example at a restaurant or bank
As of Monday, Sept. 14, rotational workers will also be able to attend necessary medical appointments whether they were urgent or routine. Appointments were in-person treatment is required such as appointments with physicians and nurse practitioners, dentists, optometrists and other regulated health professionals are also allowed.
"There are many rotational workers in the province and exempting all of them from the requirement to self-isolate could significantly increase the risk to Nova Scotians," Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, said in the release.
He said the new changes will strike a balance between helping rotational workers maintain their physical and mental well-being and keeping the risk to Nova Scotians at a minimum.
To date, Nova Scotia has 82,189 negative test results, 1,086 positive COVID-19 cases and 65 deaths.
Anyone who has travelled outside of the Atlantic bubble must self-isolate for 14 days. The province said people who develop symptoms of acute respiratory illness should limit their contact with others until they feel better.
The province recently updated the list of symptoms being screened for COVID-19. Visit https://811.novascotia.ca to determine if you should call 811 for further assessment if in the past 48 hours you have had, or you are currently experiencing:
- fever (i.e. chills/sweats) or cough (new or worsening)
or two or more of the following symptoms (new or worsening):
- sore throat
- runny nose/ nasal congestion
- headache
- shortness of breath
People can find accurate, up-to-date information about COVID-19 at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus.
