Four new COVID-related deaths are being reported in the province today, with a total of 1131 new cases reported since Monday.

There are 20 people in hospital, five of whom are in critical care.

Despite that, Special Measures Orders imposed nearly two years ago at the onset of the pandemic will officially come to an end on Monday, March 14th.

That means nearly all COVID restrictions are coming to an end, but some precautions will remain in effect in certain circumstances.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald indicated in the provincial government’s last regularly scheduled live COVID briefing that living with high levels of a relatively mild disease, just like seasonal flu, means that some people remain highly vulnerable to severe illness.

That’s why, she says, it will still be important to wear masks, exercise physical distancing and avoiding high risk situations such as crowded gatherings.

Fitzgerald says even though the mask mandate is lifting on Monday, the wearing of masks is still strongly recommended – at least for the next few weeks.

She says they expect the current COVID wave to subside by about mid-April as the weather improves and more activities move outdoors.

VaxPass Still May Be Required in Other Jurisdictions

The COVID VaxPass comes to an end on March 14th as well, but that doesn’t mean that people should delete it from their phones right away.

Health Minister John Haggie says the VaxPass may still be required in other jurisdictions if people are planning travel.

Haggie says mandatory vaccine regulations remain in place until June 1st

Those are the regulations that apply to employees and service providers of certain businesses, facilities and organizations.