N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 12 new cases Friday, yellow Christmas possible for Fredericton

Public Health reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Friday.

Of those, seven are in the Saint John region (Zone 2), three are in the Moncton region (Zone 1), and two are in the Fredericton region, which rolled back to the orange phase of recovery on Thursday. The new cases are:

Moncton region:

• two people 50 to 59; and

• one individual 60 to 69.

Saint John region:

• three people 20 to 29; and

• four people 30 to 39.

These people are self-isolating and their cases are under investigation.

Fredericton region:

• Two people 60 to 69.

These people are also self-isolating, and their cases are travel-related.

"There should be no non-essential travel in and out of, or between orange zones," said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. "Get tested even if you have mild symptoms."

The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 477 and 356 have recovered. There have been seven deaths, and the number of active cases is 114, with one person in hospital. As of today, 121,542 tests have been conducted, including 1,297 since this time yesterday.

Shannex reports 5 new cases in Saint John

Shannex is reporting five new cases at its Parkland complex in Saint John.

The new cases include one employee at Tucker Hall nursing home and one employee at the Carleton Hall retirement living building, as well as three additional resident cases at Tucker Hall.

That brings the total cases to nine: two positive employee cases and six positive resident cases at Tucker Hall, and one positive employee at Carleton Hall.

In a message posted on its website, Shannex said retesting of all employees and residents of Carleton Hall and Tucker Hall took place on Friday, and results were expected within 24 hours.

"Anyone with a positive test result will be notified immediately and it will be our priority to communicate with all individuals about their test results as soon as they are available," Shannex said.

Fredericton region could have a yellow Christmas, Russell says

If people living in the Fredericton zone adhere to rules set out by Public Health, the region might be able to return to the yellow phase by Christmas.

Public Health has sent the Fredericton region, also known as Zone 3, back to the orange phase because of high numbers of social interactions and settings, multiple settings for exposure to the disease, including schools, pubs, gyms, health facilities and sports clubs, and "significant" population interaction between the Fredericton region and the two other regions already in the orange phase.

The Moncton and Saint John regions were moved back to orange earlier this month. In the orange, the allowable size of bubbles has been reduced to single households.

Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, said she's cautiously optimistic that residents will be able to gather by Christmas.

"It really depends on how quickly we can mobilize the public," she said.

The orange phase will help slow the spread of COVID-19, by changing the interaction between residents.

Russell said at least 377 people are self-isolating in the Fredericton region and at least 1,700 people are self-isolating across New Brunswick.

"It's a fluid situation and the holiday season is coming up," she said.

Russell said Public Health is also taking steps to speed up wait times for COVID-19 tests. The aim is to have appointments scheduled within a couple of days and results back within 72 hours of having a test done.

The province failed to meet that target this week in the Fredericton and Saint John regions, but Russell said improvements have been made. People who fall into a priority group aren't facing the same long waits.

Residents encouraged to shop local this holiday season

If local businesses are going to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, more residents need to purchase goods from local stores, the CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce says.

Krista Ross is encouraging people in Fredericton to support local businesses this holiday season, particularly retail stores, restaurants and local hotels.

"If we want to have these businesses in our community in the future, we need to support them now," Ross said during an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.

"This is the time when they need us."

Typically, local businesses will see a bump in business this time of year, as residents gear up for the holiday season.

But now that Fredericton region has returned to the orange phase, Ross is afraid that won't happen.

"It's up to us as a community to make a concerted effort and intentional community intention to support those small businesses."

Residents can do this by dining as a single family household, ordering products online or purchasing gift certificates. They can also share a business's social media post or give a good review online.

"Whatever it takes, they're looking to serve their clients in any way possible," Ross said.

Members of the Fredericton business community have expressed concern and anxiety, and Ross said she doesn't know how many businesses will close because of COVID-19.

"We really don't know what's going to happen," she said.

MLA says guidelines still unclear for those working outside N.B.

Green Party MLA Megan Mitton says she's concerned the loss of the Atlantic bubble will cause problems for residents who travel outside the province for work every day.

"This is something that I think a lot of people in my riding, including myself, have been dreading the possibility of," Mitton told Information Morning Moncton the day after New Brunswick tightened its border with Nova Scotia.

Mitton said government's decision to not have checkpoints between borders is a positive step, especially in Aulac, near the Nova Scotia border, where residents dealt with hefty traffic lines this spring to cross and get to and from work every day.

Travellers are required to register if they want to enter New Brunswick. But Mitton hopes government creates a special registration for frequent travellers so they don't have to fill out a form everyday.

"Ideally, people in this area would just be given a pass … to be able to travel," she said.

Mitton said some of the border restrictions aren't clear enough, which is a problem for some Sackville and Amherst residents who need to travel through the border for work daily.

"That's one of the challenges that we've seen throughout this pandemic," said Mitton.

"When it comes to the borders, people want clear rules because they want to be able to follow them and there needs to be consistent enforcement."

She's also worried the new restrictions will reduce overall traffic flowing to local businesses and will hurt the local economy in turn.'

Potential public exposure warnings for Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton

New Brunswick Public Health has warned of the following possible exposures to COVID-19 in Moncton and Saint John, including gyms, stores, bars, restaurants and on flights.

Anyone who visited these places during the identified times should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

Anyone who develops any COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and take the self-assessment online to schedule a test.

Fredericton area

• The Snooty Fox on Nov. 18 and 19, 66 Regent St., between 8:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.

• GoodLife Fitness Fredericton on Nov. 18 at 1174 Prospect St. between 10:20 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. Nov. 19 between 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.

• The YMCA of Fredericton on Nov. 17 at 570 York St. throughout the evening.

Saint John area

• Vito's Restaurant on Nov. 16, 111 Hampton Rd., Rothesay, between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

• Rothesay Route 1 Big Stop Restaurant on Nov. 14 between 12:45 p.m. and 2 p.m. (2870 Route 1, Rothesay).

• Pub Down Under on Nov. 14, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. (400 Main St., Saint John)

• Fish & Brew on Nov. 14 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (800 Fairville Blvd., Saint John)

• Cora Breakfast and Lunch on Nov. 16 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. (39 King St., Saint John).

• Goodlife Fitness McAllister Place on Nov. 16 between noon and 1 p.m. and on Nov. 18 between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John).

• NBCC Grandview campus on Nov. 16, 17, and 18 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (950 Grandview Ave., Saint John).

• Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio on Nov. 19 between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. (47 Clark Rd., Rothesay)

• Let's Hummus at 44 Water St. between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

• Eighty-Three Bar Arcade at 43 Princess St. on Nov. 14 between midnight and 2 a.m.

• Callie's Pub at 2 Princess St. on Nov. 14 between midnight and 2 a.m.

• O'Leary's Pub at 46 Princess St. on Nov. 14 between midnight and 2 a.m.

• Five and Dime Bar at 34 Grannan St. on Nov. 14, between 12:30 to 2:30 a.m

• Freddie's Pizza at 27 Charlotte St. on Nov. 14, between 2:30 to 3 a.m.

• Big Tide Brewing Company at 47 Princess St. on Nov. 16, between 12:30 to 2 p.m.

• Java Moose at 84 Prince William St. Nov. 16, between 2 to 2:30 p.m.

• Rocky's Sports Bar at 7 Market Square on Nov. 13, between 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Potential public exposure was also reported on Nov. 14 between 10:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.

Flights into Saint John:

Public Health identified a positive case in a traveller who may have been infectious on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 while on the following flights:

• Air Canada Flight 8421 on Nov. 17 and 18 from Kelowna to Vancouver, arrived at 8 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 314 on Nov. 17 and 18 from Vancouver to Montreal, arrived at 07:11 a.m.

• Air Canada Flight 8792 on Nov. 17 and 18, from Montreal to Saint John arrived at 9:22 p.m.

Moncton

• RD Maclean Co. Ltd. on Nov. 16, 17 and 18 at 200 St. George St., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

• GoodLife Fitness on Nov. 21 at 555 Dieppe Blvd, Dieppe, between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

• Fit 4 Less at 165 Main St. on Nov. 6-12, at various times between 5 p.m. and midnight. Full list on Public Health website.

• GoodLife Fitness at Moncton Junction Village Gym on Nov. 6, between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Potential public exposure was also reported on Nov. 9, between 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

• Aldo Shoes at Moncton Champlain Mall on Nov. 6-10 at various times between 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

• CEPS Louis-J. Robichaud fitness room at 40 Antonine-Maillet Ave. on Nov. 6, 9, 10 and 12 at various times in the evening from 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Tandoori Zaika Cuisine and Bar at 196 Robinson St. on Nov. 8, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

• Keg Steakhouse and Bar at 576 Main St. on Nov. 17, between 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Flights into Moncton:

• Air Canada Flight 170 on Nov. 14 from Edmonton to Toronto, arrived at 6:55 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 8918 on Nov. 14 from Toronto to Moncton, arrived at 11:43 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 8954 on Nov. 15 from Winnipeg to Toronto, arrived at 8:16 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 8918 on Nov. 15 from Toronto to Moncton, arrived at 11:43 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 0992 on Nov. 7 from Mexico City to Toronto, arrived at 7:20 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 8918 on Nov. 7 from Toronto to Moncton, arrived at 11:43 p.m.

• Air Canada Flight 178 on Nov. 19 from Edmonton to Toronto, arrived at 5:58 a.m.

• Air Canada Flight 404 on Nov. 19 from Toronto to Montreal, arrived at 10:16 a.m.

• Air Canada Flight 8902 on Nov. 19 from Montreal to Moncton, arrived at 4:17 p.m.

What to do if you have a symptom

People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online.

Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included:

• A fever above 38 C.

• A new cough or worsening chronic cough.

• Sore throat.

• Runny nose.

• Headache.

• New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell.

• Difficulty breathing.

In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes.

People with one of those symptoms should:

• Stay at home.

• Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor.

• Describe symptoms and travel history.

• Follow instructions.