Lockdown ended at Cape Breton Regional Hospital

The Nova Scotia Health Authority says there was no imminent threat to patients, staff or physicians after the emergency department at Cape Breton Regional Hospital was placed on lockdown for more than two hours Tuesday evening.

The emergency department was placed on lockdown between 7 and 9:45 p.m. as a precaution. There was a heavy police presence outside the hospital at the same time.

The lockdown was implemented after an off-site incident that involved someone who was brought to the hospital for treatment, the spokesperson said.

A code silver had been called at the hospital, which means a person with a weapon. But the health authority said that call was made in error and that staff would be reviewing codes in the near future.

The health authority said no code should have been called on Tuesday.

No one from Cape Breton Regional Police was immediately available for comment.