By Canadian Press

New Brunswick reimposes state of emergency amid sudden surge in COVID-19 cases

Sep 24, 2021 | 1:26 PM

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick has reimposed a state of emergency as the province’s hospitals struggle to keep pace with a surge in COVID-19 infections.

The province has recorded 866 new cases so far this month — nearly a quarter of the total reported since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

A senior health official says the province got it wrong in late July when it decided to lift all health-protection measures aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

Dr. Gordon Dow, infectious disease specialist with the Horizon Health Network, says New Brunswick repeated the mistakes made by other jurisdictions, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

When New Brunswick became the first province in the Atlantic Canada to drop all of its COVID-19 restrictions, infectious disease experts warned that the province would face a surge in Delta-variant cases in the fall.

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Premier Blaine Higgs reinstated a mask order earlier this week and on Friday added a number of other health-protection measures, but he insisted no mistakes were made because the province based its decision on the best available advice.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021.

The Canadian Press