Public health restrictions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in New Brunswick will come to an end on Friday, July 30 at midnight, the premier announced on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mandatory order imposing things such as border controls, mask wearing and reduced capacities for gatherings and businesses will not be renewed when it expires next week, Higgs told a news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday is the day we\u2019ve all been looking forward to,\u201d said Higgs, \u201cand I’m sure it’s one that I will always remember.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Originally, the province\u2019s recovery plan set August 2 as the planned date for lifting the mandatory order, as long as 75% of eligible New Brunswickers had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by then. As of Friday, July 23, just 62.75% of eligible people have received two shots in New Brunswick. Another 84,000 people need to receive a second shot before that original target is hit, which is likely more than a week away, going by past rates of vaccination. Higgs said Friday he feels that the number of double vaccinated people by July 30 will be enough to mitigate the risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy the end of next week, the percentage of eligible New Brunswickers vaccinated with a second dose will be sufficient to balance out many of the current risks of living with COVID-19,\u201d said Higgs, \u201cwhile we continue to strive to immunize as many New Brunswickers as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe case to maintain a mandatory emergency order no longer exists,\u201d said the premier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Russell agreed. \u201cThere’s been no change in the science,\u201d said Russell, \u201cin terms of wanting to get as many people vaccinated as possible. That hasn’t changed in terms of what we would like to achieve and accomplish in the coming weeks. Does the mandatory order need to be in place to achieve that? I don’t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked about assurances from neighbouring provinces regarding their border restrictions with New Brunswick, Premier Higgs said that officials in the other three Atlantic provinces, \u201cdid not give us any indication that they would be making any changes to reinforce or enhance restrictions in any way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premier Higgs said that when his staff met with counterparts in the other Atlantic provinces, \u201cthey were both complimentary and wishing us well, and looking forward to when they would be able to do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, Higgs said the message from the other provinces was \u201cthey too want to move along in this area, and they too are watching what’s going on in the rest of Canada, the vaccination levels, and what’s happening in each province as provinces have opened up.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Higgs said he\u2019s expecting little change from the other provinces in the coming week, and then in the following weeks, possible moves to reduce their restrictions. \u201cObviously that’s their call,\u201d said Higgs. \u201cBut they did not share any concerns with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Higgs said the announcement was made a week before the proposed order end date in order to give adequate warning to everyone involved, from other provincial administrations to travellers to local businesses and residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe did think it was important to announce this today to give everyone involved information\u2026So it wasn’t like a next day thing,\u201d said Higgs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The New Brunswick Medical Society issued a statement shortly after the provincial news conference Friday saying it is \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d about the lifting of restrictions, and encouraging New Brunswickers to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and also to continue with certain public health measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe encourage citizens to continue following the lessons that helped keep us safe throughout the pandemic including frequent handwashing and staying home if you are sick,\u201d writes Dr. Jeff Steeves, president of the New Brunswick Medical Society. \u201cNew Brunswickers should also feel comfortable continuing to wear masks in public settings if they wish. These are steps that can mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the common cold, and other infectious diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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