Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are in for a “rough period” in the coming days and weeks after announcing 85 new confirmed and presumptive COVID cases.
Today’s COVID-19 update tallied up 53 new confirmed cases, and 32 presumptive positives. All the cases are in the Eastern Health Region.
Of those cases, 44 are among people under 20 years of age; four between 20-39; four between 40-49; and one between 50-59.
All schools in the K-12 system in the metro region and through to Bell Island, Mobile, and Witless Bay are closing to in-class instruction effective immediately.
In the meantime, all group and team sports and recreational activities are suspended right across the province.
Those suspensions will be re-evaluated in the next two weeks.
Childcare services will remain open to help accommodate essential workers.
CMOH Indicates Low Case Numbers Led to Complacency
Fitzgerald says more cases are expected and complacency has led to the current outbreak.
She says going so long with low cases counts led to complacency. Children and young people have been involved in extensive extracurricular and social activities resulting in high numbers of close contacts and now widespread transmission. She says people with mild symptoms had not been seeking testing and had been unknowingly transmitting COVID-19.
A large number of other restrictions are being increased as of midnight tonight.
They include limiting formal gatherings to 10 people or fewer. That includes funerals, burials weddings, and religious and cultural ceremonies. Wakes and visitations are prohibited.
Informal gatherings must be limited to your household bubble.
Non-essential retail stores must close to in-person service, while other personal service businesses are to close.
Restaurants are closed to in-person dining. Bars, lounges, bingo halls, and cinemas are closed.
A few more images from the Mount Pearl drive thru testing site. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/JZ7QjUb430
— Gerri Lynn Mackey (@GerriLynnMackey) February 10, 2021
COVID Alert is Canada's free COVID-19 exposure notification app. It can alert you to possible exposures before you have symptoms. Download today!
📲 https://t.co/etqwn7eeVI https://t.co/OZUEzIhEKe
— Government of NL (@GovNL) February 9, 2021