No new cases of COVID-19 in N.L. for 5th day in a row
Newfoundland and Labrador has no new COVID-19 cases for the fifth day in a row, as the province eases some of its restrictions for personal care workers.
There continues to be just one active case in the province.
As of Thursday, staff of personal-care and long-term-care homes, along with other assisted living facilities, can once again work in multiple home locations, or take a second job elsewhere.
The regulations around choirs and wind instruments have also been loosened, allowing those groups to resume practice under a range of restrictions, including using masks while singing.
As many high school students return to class for the first time on Thursday, public health officials have outlined what would happen in case of an outbreak of COVID-19 involving a student.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Wednesday a positive case does not necessarily mean a school would close. She said public heath officials will gather a list of people the student came in contact with and then recommend testing on a case-by-case basis.
"We'll have to determine, are these cases only in close contacts? Are we seeing more community spread? It will depend on what's happening elsewhere in the community as well as to whether or not we'll close down a school," Fitzgerald said.
The province's total caseload stands at 270, with 265 recoveries and three deaths.
As of Thursday, 34,239 people have been tested for the virus since March, including 347 in the last 24 hours.
