Health officials have identified one new case of COVID-19 in the province, bringing the total number of cases in Grand Bank to four.

Public health officials say there are now two people in hospital with COVID-19.

The new case is a man over the age of 70, and is connected to three other cases in the Grand Bank region. The man is not a resident of Blue Crest Cottages.

Two news conferences were held today to talk about the situation, one by Eastern Health, and a COVID briefing featuring Health Minister Dr. John Haggie and Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald.

Eastern Health says they have identified the source of the cases, and Dr. Fitzgerald says there is no evidence of community spread.

Eastern Health’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Allison explains they identified the source quickly. While there were initial indications that the source was not identified, they were quick to find out the source, which helped them focus their investigation.

Eastern Health indicates there are 13-14 potential contacts, and they are awaiting updated lab results

Dr. Fitzgerald became impassioned during the briefing while impressing the importance of following public health guidelines put in place.

She says we don’t have to look far to see how quickly things can get out of hand, and reminds Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that we have a tsunami on our shores just waiting to crash down.

Rotational Worker Regulations May Be Reviewed

The Chief Medical Officer of Health says conversations are being had about possibly tightening restrictions for rotational workers after a recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Grand Bank.

She says things have been put in place for rotational workers, as has been done in all aspects of life in the province. They will review those regulations if the situation changes.