Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health; photo courtesy Communications NS
Nova Scotia’s top doctor says he was disheartened by what he saw at the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia border this week.
Protesters upset with changes to rules for people coming into the province from New Brunswick blocked the border between the two provinces Tuesday.
The blockade only ended Wednesday.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, says he’s troubled by the division of the past few days.
“Nova Scotians have, from the very beginning, committed to each other,” he says. “We can put all the restrictions and all the requirements in place, but if people aren’t committing to each other (and) following things because it’s the right thing to do for everybody else in their community and looking after each other, none of this would work.”
Provincial officials say the border with New Brunswick will open — without restrictions or self-isolation requirements — June 30.
Strang says he and Dr. Jennifer Russell, his New Brunswick counterpart, are using the same science.
He says he just wants a little more time to boost second-dose vaccine coverage and watch what happens while New Brunswick borders open to the rest of the country.
“The fundamental issue, I guess, is Dr. Russell and I disagree,” he says. “New Brunswick made a different risk calculation — that’s their choice and their ability to do that.”
