2 new cases of COVID-19 reported in N.S. on Wednesday

Two new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Nova Scotia on Wednesday.

One is in the central zone and is a close contact of a previous case, while the other case is in the western zone and is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada. 

That person is self-isolating, as required.

The province now has 15 active cases of the virus. Nova Scotia Health labs completed 1,749 tests on Tuesday.

Atlantic bubble returning in mid-April

Following an Atlantic premiers conference call late Wednesday, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters the premiers plan to reopen the Atlantic bubble in mid-April, but hope to have a firm date announced in the coming days.

Higgs said it is likely the arrangement will start out as a Maritime bubble before becoming a "full Atlantic bubble."

Keep St. Patrick's Day gatherings small

Premier Iain Rankin asked Nova Scotians to adjust their St. Patrick's Day celebrations "to be as safe as possible," according to a release Wednesday.

"We have been fortunate to have little to no new cases recently, but we know that the virus can quickly find its way back into our communities," Rankin said.

Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, asked people to "keep your gatherings small, stick with your consistent social group, wear a mask, wash your hands and stay home if you are feeling unwell."

The pandemic has kept celebrations of the holiday low-key this year, with some Irish pubs like the Old Triangle in Halifax deciding to close in order to keep COVID-19 numbers low in the province. 

As of Tuesday 52,352 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province and of those 17,822 people have received their second dose.

Next week, Nova Scotia is expecting to receive shipments of more than 50,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines — greater than anything the province has seen so far.

New exposure sites

Nova Scotia's health authority reported three new potential exposure sites on Wednesday.

Anyone who worked at or visited the following locations on the specified dates and times should book a COVID-19 test on the self-assessment website or by contacting 811, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Individuals who were at the following location during the listed times must self-isolate while they await test results, regardless of whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.

• Mount Uniacke Pub and Eatery at 125 Highway 1, Mount Uniacke, on March 12 between 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 26.

Individuals who were at the following locations during the listed times do not have to self-isolate while they await test results, unless they have symptoms of COVID-19.

• Hong's Kitchen Restaurant & VLT Gaming at 585 Sackville Dr., Lower Sackville, on March 13 between 5 and 9 p.m. and March 14 between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 28.

• Money Mart at 601 Sackville Dr. Unit 1, Lower Sackville, on March 13 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 27.

A full list of active exposure sites is maintained here.

Atlantic Canada case numbers

• New Brunswick reported five new cases on Tuesday for a total of 41 known active cases. One person is in hospital related to COVID-19.
• Newfoundland and Labrador reported zero new cases on Wednesday. The province has 36 known active cases. Two people are in hospital related to COVID-19.
• P.E.I. reported one new case Tuesday. The Island now has four active cases.