COVID-19 restrictions will start easing in Nova Scotia next week.
Premier Tim Houston and Doctor Robert Strang held a COVID-19 briefing this afternoon, together in the same room for the first time since December 17.
Strang announced a three phased plan to ease restrictions which will start on Monday.
He says we’ve passed the peak of the Omicron wave and are seeing declining lab positive cases.
“The outbreaks are all substantially on decline, even the number of new admissions to hospital looks like they’ve reached their peak but we have to acknowledge that our healthcare system continues to be under tremendous pressure.” says Strang.
Starting Monday, sports, arts and culture events can resume, informal gathering limits will increase from 10 to 25 people, restaurants and gyms can increase capacity to 75%, while retail and cosmetic services return to 100%.
Strang added the reopening is in no way a response to recent protests.
Houston also discussed why they are choosing to ease restrictions now.
“It’s happening because of our high vaccination rates and the fact we’re leading the country in booster doses. These are not things to be ignored,” says Houston. “It’s also happening because we know the need to balance between restrictions and the risk of COVID-19.”
The province announced five COVID-19 related deaths today. They are all women between their 60’s and 90’s.
There were eight new hospitalizations and four discharges.
A total of 365 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases are being reported. The breakdown is:
- 117 cases in the Central Zone
- 59 cases in the Eastern Zone
- 82 cases in the Northern Zone
- 107 cases in the Western Zone
The province estimates there are 3,232 active cases of the virus province wide.
At today’s briefing, Houston also announced a 23% pay increase for continuing care assistants effective tomorrow.
Approximately $65 million is being invested by the province. The increase is for both unionized and non-unionized CCAs at all levels in the publicly funded sector.
In a release, the province says this brings the annual top salary to $48,419, an annual increase for full-time CCAs of close to $9,000.
Houston shared a message for those who left the industry for feeling undervalued.
“Please come back. We need you now more than ever. We want you, we need you, we value you and we respect you.”
