Todays COVID update will begin soon. Live-streamed here:
Earlier today, they notified us the briefing would be delayed a half-hour, to 1:30. I appreciated that. But now they're 25 minutes late... oh, now they're on their way.
McNeil: We've had a couple of good weeks with no new cases. But now we have new 1 case — an essential worker related to travel.
McNeil: the plan for university students worked.
McNeil: we're easing more restrictions in nursing homes. But we'll reverse that WHEN the 2nd wave comes
Strang: it looks like the new case had very few if any close contacts.
Strang: 4,000 students from outside the Bubble. 89% have completed their self-isolation, and 94% complied with their daily check-ins.
Strang: we had 1 true positive with university students,, and 3 "indeterminate" tests, which we treated as positive.
Strang: there are still "a few" students coming in, and they'll continue to be required to self-isolate. The university testing centres will shut on Oct. 5.
Strang: the person waiting for their test results has to self-isolate, but other people living in the home don't. So, if you're child has to self-isolate, you can still go to work, grocery store, etc.
Strang: effective Oct. 1, up to 50 people can gather for arts and sports. Included in that 50 are performers and stage directors, etc.
But for singing groups, choirs, and playing brass and wind instruments do not get the 50-person group. They still must maintain 6 feet distancing.
The sports exemption does not apply to unorganized sports, like pick-up basketball They still are limited to 10.
And just to confuse everyone, sports like when friends have regularly scheduled events for years, even though they're not an official league, they can have groups of up to 50.
Strang: the 50 limits do NOT apply to audiences and spectators.
Strang: I'm hearing stories that people in sports are being "disresecting" of people who work in the facilities.
Strang: in Long-Term Care, starting Sept. 28, residents can have off-site visits, for example with family on Thanksgiving.
Strang: in Atlantic Canada, we have little to no community spread. We can keep this up by: continuing restrictions on travellers, increased testing, and people following all public health directives.
Strang: Atlantic Canada is "one of the safest places in the world"
Here's the press release re nursing homes:
I asked Strang about the 50 person limit for sports: beer league hockey groups (who are typically white dudes) can gather up to 50 even though they are not a recognized league, but pickup basketball games, which are central to the culture of young Black communities cannot...
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