The number of recoveries from COVID-19 has outweighed the number of new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador for the last few days, but officials warn that slacking off now could be catastrophic.
On Sunday, the provincial government announced one new case of COVID-19 in the Eastern Health region, while the number of recoveries jumped to 129. That’s nine more than Saturday.
However, Health Minister John Haggie and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald have both warned about the impact that a slip in the province’s actions could cause.
Dr. Fitzgerald says while the numbers are encouraging, people need to understand that the work is not done, and the pandemic is far from over.
Fitzgerald claims that it is time to double down on efforts by following public health orders and physical distancing. She indicates that should the province ease up, there will be a very different picture in two weeks’ time. Two months from now, she says, would be catastrophic.
Minister Haggie says slipping now will push the province down the path of the worst-case scenario that was laid out in the provincial projection models last week.
