The provincial government will not put new COVID-19 regulations in place immediately following the news of an outbreak at a special care home in Moncton.
Public Health announced two residents at Manoir Notre-Dame Manor in Moncton had tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.
Of the two individuals that have contracted the virus, one is in their 70s, and the other is in their 80s.
Premier Blaine Higgs said the all-party cabinet committee would meet Thursday this week to discuss updating the current health regulations.
Higgs says they’ll discuss a number of factors when it comes to considering changes to the guidelines.
“How well are people adhering to the rules? How well are special care homes and nursing homes adhering to the rules? All of that is adding up to a decision point that, I guess will be made this week,” the premier said.
At a briefing last Friday, Higgs hinted at the possibility of introducing a mandatory mask policy that could start as soon as October 8, but he didn’t make any commitments on that at Tuesday’s briefing.
Higgs also cast doubt on the possibility of reopening borders internationally and into Quebec.
“From my colleagues across the country, I don’t see any push to open up the U.S. border anytime soon,” Higgs said. “There’s no immediate plans to open those borders.”
The premier also used the Tuesday briefing to reinforce why his party had not yet loosened restrictions despite the province’s low case numbers throughout the summer.
“Some wondered why all our precautions were still necessary. Today’s announcement is why.”
