New Glasgow restaurant included on latest list announced by Public Health for possible exposure to COVID-19

Nova Scotia Health’s latest list of potential exposure to COVID-19 locations includes one in the local area. Anyone who was at Appleseed Diner (33 MacGregor Ave, New Glasgow) on Sunday, April 18 between 10:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. should book a COVID-19 test on the self-assessment website or by contacting 811, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 symptoms.  Individuals who were at this location on the specified date and time will need to self-isolate while they await test results, regardless of whether they have symptoms. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date/time may develop symptoms up to, and including, May 2. The latest list of potential exposure locations is mainly in the Central Zone, but also includes the Western Zone and three Air Canada flights. Full list here: nshealth.ca/covid-exposures 

 

COVID spike in Nova Scotia leads to month-long ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown for Halifax

Atlantic Canada’s largest city is going back into COVID-19 lockdown after Nova Scotia on Thursday reported its highest single-day case count since last spring. Premier Iain Rankin said month-long “circuit breaker” restrictions were necessary for Halifax and surrounding communities after 38 new infections were reported, bringing the number of active cases in the province to 111.  Rankin said the new restrictions begin at 8 a.m. today (Friday, April 23) and will remain in place until at least May 20.

Thursday’s case count was the highest since April 23, 2020, when health officials reported 55 infections. Officials have identified 102 cases since last Friday.  Thirty-three of the new infections reported Thursday were identified in the Halifax area, where officials said there is community spread.  The new restrictions limit outdoor and indoor gatherings to five people and prohibit large gatherings, including social events, festivals, sports and wedding receptions.

People are asked not to travel into or out of the Halifax area unless it is absolutely necessary. Travel will be allowed for school, work, health care and legal requirements.  Most schools and all childcare centres remain open, but several schools in the Dartmouth area will close on Friday and students will move to at-home learning for the next two weeks.  Chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang said while public schools in the rest of the province will continue with in-person learning, masks will be mandatory for all students. Previously, masks were necessary for Grades 4 and up.

Restaurants and licensed establishments in the Halifax area will close Friday for in-person dining and retail businesses and malls will be limited to operating at 25 per cent capacity. As well, no visitors or volunteers will be allowed inside long-term care facilities, except for designated care providers.

Officials said 19 of Thursday’s cases in Halifax involved close contacts of previously reported infections, 10 were under investigation and four were related to foreign and domestic travel. All of the remaining cases in the province were related to travel.

Nova Scotia’s new travel rules went into effect Thursday morning, prohibiting non-essential travel into the province from anywhere in the country other than Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.  The outbreak also led the province to cancel next month’s women’s world hockey championship set for Halifax and Truro, N.S. It is the second consecutive year that tournament has been cancelled because of the pandemic.  (The Canadian Press)

 

Shawn Wade Hynes sentenced in Nova Scotia provincial court Friday morning (Story shared from CBC NS)

A Pictou County man has been sentenced to 18 months of house arrest for shooting a co-worker in the back with a nail gun.  Shawn Wade Hynes of Trenton was sentenced in Nova Scotia provincial court Friday morning.  He shot Nhlanhla Dlamini with a framing nailer at a construction site in Abercrombie on Sept. 19, 2018.  Dlamini suffered a punctured lung. He spent four days in hospital and a month off work because of his wound.  Hynes was convicted of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon following a trial in September 2019.

Sentencing has been delayed multiple times. The first was to allow victim impact statements to be filed, the second was because of the pandemic and the third was for constitutional arguments advanced by lawyers during sentencing. Hynes’s lawyer had been asking for a suspended sentence and probation. The Crown sought a jail sentence of between 12 and 18 months.  Judge Del Atwood rejected the defence proposal, saying a custodial sentence was necessary to denounce what Hynes did.  “I find that imprisonment is required in this case,” the judge said in his sentencing decision.  “NH is black. The history of anti-Black discrimination in Nova Scotia is a historic fact, which is continuing. Discrimination and intimidation of racialized and marginalized persons will occur in many locations, including workplaces and it happened to NH.”

Throughout his nearly hour-long sentencing, Atwood referred to Dlamini by the initials NH, saying that’s how the victim asked to be addressed during the trial.  He took note of the intense interest in the community, especially among African Nova Scotians, about this case.  “There is a strong need for the denunciation of workplace violence, motivated by implicit bias. Violence of this nature in the workplace operates to perpetuate structures of inequality and access to employment for communities that have experienced generations of formal and informal discrimination,” Atwood said.  “It can lead to and in this case led to, loss of employment. Or, if not a total loss, underemployment.” Because Dlamini was off the job for a month, the judge ordered Hynes to pay his victim $2,080, the amount of wages he lost.  Hynes has also given a DNA sample and is banned from owning or possessing weapons. (CBC)

 

House Fire in Lochbroom, Pictou County Thursday Night Displaces 2 Adults

The Canadian Red Cross says two adults were displaced following a house fire Thursday night on Lochbroom Loop Road. Alma Fire department responded last evening around 8 p.m., along with help from Abercrombie, West River, Westville, and New Glasgow Fire Departments. Red Cross volunteers have assisted the adults with emergency lodging and funds for food, clothing and other essentials. No injuries were reported, as they were not home at the time of the fire.

 

Increase at the Pumps in N.S. Overnight

An increase in gas and diesel prices in Nova Scotia overnight. The new minimum price for regular self-serve gas is $1.274 per litre in the local area, up 1.2 cents from last week. Diesel increased 2.6 cents per litre to a new minimum of $1.157.

 

McKenna wins Nova Scotia Liberal Party Nomination to Represent Pictou Centre

Photo submitted

Jim McKenna has won the Pictou Centre Liberal nomination, defeating Shannon MacInnis last night.  He will be vying against incumbent Pat Dunn in the next election.

 

Reminder to watch out for folks picking up roadside litter this weekend. 

(Facebook photo) LORDA Park

Pictou County Go Clean Get Green wraps up tomorrow with a community clean-up day and organizers say this year has been especially busy.  Those taking part are encouraged to clean up individually or in small groups, respecting social distancing and gathering limits.  A complete list of waste drop off locations for Saturday’s Community Clean Up can be found at www.gocleangetgreen.ca

 

***Due to Covid Travel restrictions, The Merle Haggard Tribute show scheduled for Sunday April 25 at the Stellarton Legion is CANCELLED. Show is rebooked for Sunday June 25th. Ticket holders may keep tickets for the June show or return them to the Legion for refund.

 

Musquodoboit Valley Memorial Hospital’s emergency department will be closed today and Saturday.  The emergency department will reopen at 8am on Sunday.  Anyone with urgent medical needs should call 911.  For non-urgent care, you should call your family doctor or visit a walk-in clinic, or for general health advice and information you can call 811.