Our actions now will determine what summer in Nova Scotia will look like: Strang - HalifaxToday.ca

Nova Scotia is at a turning point in its fight against a third wave of COVID-19.

That's according to the province's chief medical officer of health.

"What happens next is going to go one of two ways, and our collective actions will decide that path," stated Dr. Robert Strang at a Thursday briefing.

"Either we get things under control now and we can loosen restrictions as we head into the summer, or we don't and these restrictions have to last a lot longer than two weeks."

Strang said it didn't take long for our case numbers to skyrocket. 

Two weeks ago, Nova Scotia's active case count was at 42, last week it was 111. Today there are 548 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

Tuesday the province hit a single-day record for new cases with 96. There were 75 yesterday and 70 today. 

Strang said even though the numbers are going in the right direction, we still have a lot of work to do.

"My message today is, just because you can does not mean you should," said Strang. "We need to closely follow the restrictions that are in place."

"It's critical. Lives, jobs, businesses and our health care system are all at stake."

He said public health officials have been flooding with calls from people looking for clarification on restrictions, but he said most of the answers are common sense.

"If you have to ask yourself if you can or you should, the answer is probably no, don't do that or don't go there. Do not look for loopholes."

He called the two-week lockdown "short-term pain for long-term gain."

The key points are to limit travel and social interactions. Nova Scotians are being asked to stay as close to home as possible.

"If you need to travel out of your community for work or school, for a child custody arrangement or child care, for a medical appointment or to get essential goods or services, all that is allowed," he explained. "These restrictions are meant to limit non-essential travel."

However he said the virus is spread through social interactions, so we need to only interact face-to-face with those we live with, work from home if possible and designate one person to go on essential shopping trips.

The risk of spread is lower outside and Nova Scotians are encouraged to continue enjoying parks, trails and beaches for their mental and physical health.

"If you're outside with people who are not in your household you must be at least six feet apart and your group can not be larger than five people," Strang added.

And as we approach our first weekend of lockdown, Premier Iain Rankin said he knows it will be difficult to not see family and friends, but it's necessary if we're going to slow the spread of the virus.

"With this weekend coming, the most important thing you can do is stay close to home," he said.

Rankin and Strang have another briefing scheduled at 2 p.m. Friday where they are expected to update the province's vaccine program.

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Our actions now will determine what summer in Nova Scotia will look like: Strang - HalifaxToday.ca
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