Visitors asked to stay away

The Town of Saint Andrews issued a statement and press release on Tuesday asking non-residents to refrain from coming to town for non-essential purposes while a state emergency is in effect. Despite orders from federal, provincial and municipal leaders to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Andrews is still experiencing a relatively high volume of visitors flocking to the beaches, streets and trails.

In a new COVID-19 episode of Your Town Matters, airing all this week on CHCO, Mayor Doug Naish expressed concern for how the excessive amount of unnecessary traffic might affect Saint Andrews during the upcoming long Easter Weekend.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Premier Blaine Higgs responded to a question about whether extending emergencies measures to go beyond just provincial border checkpoints to include municipal checkpoints could be put in place to reroute unnecessary traffic. "It would be extremely difficult," insisted Higgs, though it isn't off the table and will be discussed over the coming days.

New Brunswick’s Education Minister Dominic Cardy announced last week that schools in the province will remain closed for the rest of the school year and students will have to finish their studies at home. That is, unless there is a drastic improvement to the COVID-19 situation. This poses an even greater challenge for students who don't have present parents to guide them through their studies.

At a press conference last Thursday, Cardy addressed CHCO-TV's concerns regarding how continued education at home will work for students facing these particular challenges. Students will be provided with online schooling options, and home-learning kits will be made available for students without access to computers or internet. Given the rural nature of the Charlotte County, internet isn't as widespread as it is in more dense regions. In Saint Andrews school district, for instance, 10% of the student body does not have access to the internet at home. 

"This is why the teachers in our education system are the most important people in our province," said Cardy, recognizing the additional work they would have to do in order to meet the needs of students during the pandemic. Teachers across New Brunswick are in the progress of getting educational materials delivered to students. 

On Monday, Premier Higgs announced the formation of a new pandemic task force, a team of civil servants and health experts that can act with more speed in the battle against COVID-19, making decisions on behalf of the province on everything from acquiring medical resources to managing hospitals. The task force includes Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Russell, Dr. Nicolle Leblanc of Vitalite Health, Deputy Minister of Health Gerard Richard and Horizon Health's Dr. Gordon Dow.

The pandemic task force has followed the lead of Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam by suggesting people can wear non-medical masks or face covering when in public as “an additional measure” to protect others. This national change of opinion on face coverings comes at a time when medical leaders around the world are questioning whether 6-ft is truly enough of a safe distance for people to keep between another. In a press conference on Monday, CHCO asked infectious disease expert Dr. Dow what his opinions are on new research that suggests under the right conditions, liquid droplets from sneezes, coughs and just breathing can travel upwards of 26 feet and linger in the air. Dow insisted there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and suggested people consider adopting the use of non-medical face coverings to protect their community.