Nova Scotia is lifting its COVID-related Well being Safety Act order and can now not report circumstances in its weekly COVID-19 dashboard.
In a launch Tuesday, the province mentioned that with the World Well being Group declaring that COVID-19 now not requires a worldwide emergency-type response, the illness will now be handled equally to different respiratory diseases like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
It mentioned the change means the Well being Safety Act order associated to COVID-19, which got here into impact in March 2020 and allowed the chief medical officer of well being to impose restrictions to fight its unfold, is “now not essential.”
“You will need to be aware that whereas COVID-19 now not requires an emergency-type response, we proceed to observe COVID-19 exercise and can regulate our plan as wanted, as we do with different ailments,” mentioned Dr. Robert Strang, the chief medical officer of well being, within the launch.
Strang mentioned the province will take a extra “common strategy” by integrating COVID-19 into its respiratory sickness program forward of the upcoming respiratory sickness season within the fall.
“The identical kind of non-public measures that shield us towards COVID-19 can even shield us towards influenza and different respiratory diseases,” he mentioned.
Efficient Tuesday, the province can also be lifting its obligatory vaccination protocol for high-risk settings, reminiscent of health-care services, long-term care houses, and correctional services, in addition to directives round COVID-19 administration in long-term care services.
“Employers and operators of high-risk settings will probably be answerable for insurance policies about COVID-19, together with masking and whether or not workers, outdoors service suppliers and volunteers have to be vaccinated,” the discharge mentioned.
“Public well being has offered steerage for operators of congregate settings on COVID-19 and different respiratory viruses.”
The COVID-19 dashboard, which tracks circumstances within the province, can even be up to date for the final time on Might 25, although the province will proceed to report knowledge in its month-to-month COVID-19 report.
“Beginning in October, COVID-19 knowledge will probably be reported with different respiratory diseases in Respiratory Watch, a doc produced by public well being. It’ll initially be revealed month-to-month after which extra incessantly throughout respiratory season,” the discharge mentioned.
Based on the dashboard, as of Might 15, there have been 23 folks in hospital as a result of COVID-19, 5 of whom had been in intensive care. A complete of 865 folks have died of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia since March 2020.
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