PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA: Ten New Cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia

Original available here

As of today, March 24, Nova Scotia has 51 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Ten new cases were identified Monday, March 23. The cases are travel-related or connected to earlier reported cases. Several of the new cases are connected to groups or families who have returned to Nova Scotia following travel outside of Canada. None of these cases are from spread within the community.

The 51 individuals affected range in age from under ten to mid-70’s. Cases have been identified in all parts of the province. One individual remains in hospital. One individual has recovered and their case of COVID-19 is considered resolved.

Public health has been in contact with these individuals and is working to identify others who may have come in close contact with them. Those individuals are also being directed to self-isolate at home, away from the public, for 14 days.

To date, Nova Scotia has 2,474 negative test results and 51 confirmed cases.

Anyone who has travelled outside of Nova Scotia must self-isolate for 14 days. If you have travelled outside of Nova Scotia or been in close contact with someone who has travelled and are experiencing fever or new cough you should complete the online questionnaire before calling 811. The online questionnaire can be found at: https://811.novascotia.ca/

Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus .

Today’s update will be livestreamed at 3 p.m. on https://novascotia.ca/stayinformed/webcast , @nsgov Facebook and YouTube channels.

Quick Facts:

testing numbers are updated daily at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
Nova Scotia’s Health Protection Act gives the chief medical officer of health the authority to give advice to protect public health and decrease risk to public health presented by communicable diseases such as COVID-19
a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22 and remains in effect until noon, April 5
under the state of emergency government can control or prohibit assembly as well as travel to and from areas. It can also coordinate commerce activity and emergency responders

Additional Resources:

Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus

Government of Canada toll-free information line 1-833-784-4397

Message from Municipal Council

To all residents of the Municipality of the County of Inverness,

We wanted to take a moment to say thank you and provide you with an update. These are trying times, and there will be difficult choices to make over the coming weeks and months. But with your support and cooperation, we will get through this. As your warden and council, we’re doing everything we can to make sure you stay healthy, safe and informed. We know you will have questions and we’re doing everything we can to provide you with answers.

Currently, municipal staff members are monitoring the actions and advice of government and health leaders. As you may already know, on Sunday, Premier Stephen McNeil evoked a provincewide State of Emergency. The State of Emergency was called because of reports that many Nova Scotians were ignoring the call for physical distancing.

State of Emergency measures now in place include:

• Provincial parks, beaches and tourist attractions are closed. Provincial trails will remain open for exercise. Gathering limits and social distancing guidelines must be followed.

• Police will be authorized to enforce orders under the Health Protection Act. If Nova Scotians and businesses do not practice social distancing and self-isolation, they will face fines of $1,000 for individuals and $7,500 for businesses.

• There are several groups who are essential and exempt from gathering limits. They include but are not limited to grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies.

In addition, the municipality has enacted its Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Plan. The plan will guide Council and staff in the continued safe operation of local municipal government services and the ongoing health and safety of staff, local business, community organizations and residents.

Key elements of the plan include but aren’t limited to:

• The Municipal Office and the Infrastructure & Emergency Services Facility are now closed to the public.

• The Kenloch Transfer Station will also close as Wednesday morning, March 25th.

• All Recreation and Cultural Programs offered through the Municipality will be cancelled and rescheduled, if possible, at a later date.

• Foyer Pere Fiset, Inverary Manor, Port Hood Small Options and Koster Huis are closed to visitors.

Finally, thanks to everyone who is working in an essential service. Through your efforts, we will get through this together.

Thank you, wash your hands, stay home as much as you can and be safe.

Betty Ann MacQuarrie, Warden & Councillor, District 5

Alfred Poirier, Deputy Warden & Councillor, District 1

Laurie Cranton, Councillor, District 2

Jim Mustard, Councillor, District 3

John MacLennan, Councillor, District 4

John Dowling, Councillor, District 6

Municipality of the County of Inverness Enacts Pandemic Response Plan

INVERNESS COUNTY, N.S. – Municipality of the County of Inverness Council continues to take significant steps to address the COVID-19 outbreak. To this end, Council has enacted the Municipality of the County of Inverness Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Plan. The plan will now guide Council and staff in the continued safe operation of local municipal government services and the ongoing health and safety of staff, local business, community organizations and residents.

Key elements of the plan include, but aren’t limited to:

The Port Hood Administrative Building and the Infrastructure & Emergency Services Facility are now closed to the public.
The Kenloch Transfer Station will be closed to the public as of Wednesday, March 25th.
All recreation and cultural programs offered through the Municipality will be cancelled and rescheduled, if possible.
Foyer Père Fiset, Inverary Manor, Port Hood Small Options and Koster Huis are closed to visitors.
All ‘Non-Essential’ municipal government meetings are cancelled, and staff will be working from home when possible.

“We’re continuing to work closely with provincial and local public health officials,” said Warden Betty Ann MacQuarrie. “Our priority is to keep local government, including Inverness County Homes Corporation operations, functioning in a safe and responsible manner. The enactment of the Pandemic Plan will guide our decisions as we go forward.”

Inverness County residents can find the most accurate and current Nova Scotia Provincial Government COVID-19 information www.novascotia.ca/coronavirus. Residents should follow hygiene and social distancing guidelines as outlined by the Nova Scotia Health Authority including:

Stay home unless you absolutely must go out for supplies.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and don’t touch your face.
Stay 6 feet or 2 metres away from others, wherever possible.

Residents and media are encouraged to contact CAO Keith MacDonald at 902-258-5999 for further information and clarification about the Pandemic Plan.

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SAT Service Suspended Until Further Notice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19^th, 2020

Following the lead of Province of Nova Scotia and Government of Canada officials, Strait Area Transit and Victoria County Transit will be suspending services until further notice, effective at the end of the business day of March 20^th, 2020.

The safety of staff and clients are paramount at this time and although this may cause some inconvenience, the board of directors and executive director feel this is a necessary measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

For any questions, clients can contact Chairperson John Dowling at john.dowling@invernesscounty.ca.

Strait Area Transit is a non-profit community-based transit system which has serviced the Strait region since 2007. This is a safe, reliable and affordable option aimed at improving the quality of life for all residents of the Strait Area (Inverness County, Richmond County and the Town of Port Hawkesbury).

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Strait Area Transit

32 Paint St

Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 3J8

www.satbus.ca

info@satbus.ca

902-625-1475

Notice to all residents: Sharps Disposal Guidelines

In efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, pharmacies have implemented short-term controls and are no longer able to accept used sharps containers. The Municipality would like to remind all residents that sharps cannot be disposed of in regular recycling or garbage bags. Disposing of them in your garbage or blue bags is very dangerous for the people handling solid waste. Please call your pharmacist for advice on how to store your used sharps during this time.

Read the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia’ guidelines on proper sharps disposal: https://pans.ns.ca/public/programs/safe-sharps

COVID-19: Municipal Operations Updates

The Municipality of the County of Inverness is working diligently to provide ongoing service to residents. Due to Covid-19, for staff and public safety, the Port Hood Administrative Building, the Municipal Recycling Facility and the Infrastructure & Emergency Services Building in Strathlorne are closed to the public until further notice.

– To pay tax or water bills, call 902-787-2274 and pay online or by mail.

– For water connection, call 902-787-2274.

– Solid waste collection will continue. Please check the “Municipality of the County of Inverness” Facebook page for updates.

– The Kenloch Transfer Station remains open. Please respect social distancing guidelines while visiting the site.

For the Municipal emergency hotline, call 902-258-5048. For acute medical emergencies, call 9-1-1. If you feel sick, call 8-1-1 for assessment.

Municipal Covid-19 Response and Precautionary Measures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16^th, 2020

COVID-19 Response and Precautionary Measures

INVERNESS COUNTY, N.S. – Following the lead of the Province of Nova Scotia and Government of Canada, as of tomorrow, March 17^th 2020, the Municipality of the County of Inverness will be closing some facilities to the public. These facilities include the administrative office in Port Hood, the public drop off area at the Recycling Facility as well as the Infrastructure & Emergency Services Building in Strathlorne until further notice.

Residents looking to make payments on water or tax bills can do so via online payment or by mail until the administrative office reopens. For any questions, Municipal staff will be available to contact through phone and email.

More public health measures may yet be taken by the Municipality, but emergency and essential services will continue.

As per public health officials, if you develop a fever with a temperature of 38° C or higher or a cough, call 8-1-1 for assessment immediately. Do not go to a health clinic, emergency room or COVID-19 assessment centre unless 8-1-1 has referred you.

Inverness County resident can find the most accurate information at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/. Residents should follow hygiene and social distancing guidelines as outlined by the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

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STRAIT AREA TRANSIT: Covid-19 Restrictions

Strait Area Transit will be limiting service to essential services only. ie Medical, access to food. If you are able to order food/supplies, they can deliver it to your house. Contact 902-625-1475 for more information.

LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES: Notice to our service communities

(Please note: The following also applies to the Foyer Père Fiset in Chéticamp.)

Notice to our Service Communities

To protect our residents and staff from the outbreak of the Corona Virus, effective immediately, Inverary Manor will be closed to all visitors except for extreme circumstances, such as a palliative situation.

It was recently confirmed by the Department of Health and Wellness (DHW) there are now 3 presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. With this new information, our decision follows the most recent directive by the Province of Nova Scotia to restrict all visitor access to Long Term Care Homes in the Province.

We regret any inconvenience this decision poses to resident families, friends, volunteers and others who visit Inverary Manor. It is our goal to limit the spread of the virus and do our utmost to protect our residents (who are most susceptible to contracting it due to compromised immune systems) and our employees who serve them.

At this time, we ask for the community’s understanding and support. We want to assure families and the public that we have introduced several precautionary measures within our operation at Inverary Manor to ensure the safety and care of our residents and staff. I want to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated staff for their commitment and collective efforts to serve and support our residents and each other through this challenging period.

We all can appreciate this situation is evolving and the leadership team at Inverary Manor is in daily contact with DHW and Public Health Officials to help guide our decisions as we work through this extraordinary event. As such, we are committed to keeping the public informed and will update you on any new information or decisions as they are taken.

If you have any questions, please contact Teresa Smith, Director Recreation Services (902-258-2842 ext. 241) or Wanda Chandler, Administrative Assistant (902-258-2842 ext.221)

Thank you for your understanding.

Stephen Doiron, Administrator