And now for CHMA local news:
A person who has tested positive for COVID-19 passed through the Moncton airport on Monday, April 27th. The person was a passenger on WestJet flight 3456 from Toronto arriving at 1:52 p.m. New Brunswick Public Health is advising anyone who may have been on this flight to immediately self isolate for 14 days and call 811 if you develop symptoms.
The alert came from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and was posted by the Moncton airport authority late yesterday afternoon. Public Health New Brunswick says the person was not tested in New Brunswick and they are working to determine if they are currently in or outside the province.
In the provincial update on COVID-19 yesterday, Premier Blaine Higgs said that a further lifting of restrictions will be announced this week:
AUDIO Higgs clip 1, 15 seconds
More restrictions will loosen this week and I know businesses will be eager to open the doors we need to make Make sure we handle the reopening process in the very best way possible, because we do not want to step backwards in this fight on COVID
This Friday will mark two weeks since Higgs announced the current phase of relaxed restrictions. At that time, he said the next phase could happen after two to four weeks.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell again stressed the importance of maintaining a minimum level of testing in the province. She said she plans to further expand testing in the province to include some asymptomatic testing, in specific cases.
The province announced a total of 219 new test results in the province on Monday, with 71 in the South East Region.
Sackville Town Council took to the internet last night for their first meeting by video chat. Councillors joined from their homes and offices while Treasurer Michael Beal held down the fort — and the live-stream — in council chambers. The meeting lasted about one and a half hours.
Mayor John Higham started off by declaring the month May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and then council got down to business with reports from the town’s various departments.
Among other things, Council approved waiving sewer treatment charges for the first three months of 2020, which will reduce residents’ bills by $20 each. The move will cost the town about $40,000 in lost revenue—money that would have gone towards a reserve fund for a future lagoon upgrade, as treasurer Michael Beal explained:
AUDIO: Beal clip, ends with, “during these tough times”.
The town will also waive interest for overdue accounts from March through to May 2020, and extend the no-interest and seniors discount period from 30 to 60 days.
Dog tag renewals, which were due March 31st, are now postponed until further notice. Once normal operations begin again, dog owners will have a 30 to 60 day window to get their pets up to date, with no late penalties.
Councillor Bill Evans said that CN Tree Planting program would continue as planned over the next few months, and that a contractor would be inoculating some of Sackville’s large elms against Dutch Elm Disease. Evans asked Manager of Parks & Facilities Todd Cole to explain the process:
AUDIO: COLE clip; ends with, “before these ones do go.”
In Parks and Recreation news, the fates of the Sackville Street Chalk Festival and the Sackville Fall Fair are still up in the air, waiting on changes to provincial rules that currently ban large gatherings.
The Fall Fair is scheduled for September 24th to 27th, and with this year being the 20th anniversary of the event, the town secured Jimmie Rankin to play a concert in the main tent.
When Premier Blaine Higgs announced the current easing of restrictions on April 24th, he said that large gatherings such as festivals and concerts would not be allowed until after December 31st, though he did say the decision would be up for review as circumstances change.
Council approved third reading of amendments to its Street Traffic Bylaw as Councillor Allison Butcher explained:
AUDIO: Butcher clip, ends with “…statutory holidays.”
Councillor Bruce Phinney took a moment to share his experience with getting tested for COVID-19. Phinney had called 811 after work on a Friday evening, and by Saturday had an appointment in Moncton to get swabbed for a COVID test. By early Sunday morning, he got a call with his results.
AUDIO: Phinney clip 1, ends with “and not even know it.”
Happily, Phinney tested negative for COVID-19.
That’s the CHMA news for today.
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