New Brunswick is declaring a state of emergency under the Emergency Measures Act amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Blaine Higgs made the announcement Thursday afternoon.
“The health and well-being of every New Brunswicker must remain our number one priority,” said Higgs. “With the support of the of the chief medical officer of health, and with the support of the all-party cabinet committee, we are taking this extraordinary measure to provided greater assistance to the health-care sector fighting the spread of COVID-19 in the province.”
Higgs says this measure means most retail operations will have to close with some exemptions.
Those include grocery stores, pharmacies, NB Liquor, Cannabis NB, auto repair shops, gas stations, post offices and hardware stores.
Restaurants can remain open but must offer take-out or delivery only.
Lounges and other facilities under the Liquor Control Act must no longer allow patrons.
Higgs says the closures are no longer an option.
Here is the full list as a result of the declaration:
- All food and beverage businesses will be reduced to take-out and delivery service only.
- All lounges and special facilities licensed under the Liquor Control Act will stop admitting patrons.
- All swimming pools, spas, saunas, waterparks, gymnasiums, yoga studios, dance studios, rinks and arenas, tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields, climbing walls, escape rooms, ski hills, golf courses, arcades, amusement centres, pool halls, bowling alleys, casinos, cinemas, libraries, museums, zoos, aquariums, barbers, hair stylists, esthetics service providers, sugar bush operations, and theatres or other live performance venues will stop admitting members of the public.
- Schools, colleges, universities and private schools must be closed to students. Institutions which have students in residence are permitted to allow them to remain in residence until they can safely return home. Online course delivery may continue.
- All businesses in retail sales will stop admitting patrons, except: grocery stores; pharmacies; repair garages; post offices; financial and lending institutions; retailers of fuel, hardware and automotive parts; convenience stores; animal and fish feed providers; and corporate and agency stores of NB Liquor and Cannabis NB. All businesses required to stop admitting patrons are permitted to sell online or over the phone and to arrange delivery or pick-up of purchases.
- Every person directed by a physician to self-isolate will obey.
- Every person who has been outside Canada will self-isolate within their home for 14 days after their return to Canada, and, if they experience symptoms of COVID-19 during that period, will remain self-isolated until they are free of symptoms. This requirement does not apply to people exempted by the chief medical officer of health.
- Owners and operators of all other premises at which people may gather in large numbers will take all reasonable steps to prevent gatherings of more than 10 people.
- All regulated health services providers will cease operations unless the services to be provided are to address essential health care or an emergency health-care situation.
- All unregulated health services providers, with the exception of those that are providing direct support to regulated health services providers, shall cease operations immediately.
- Owners and managers of all workplaces and organizers of all activities will take every reasonable step to ensure minimal interaction of people within 2 metres of each other and carry out advice to minimize risk as issued by the chief medical officer of health.
- All owners and managers of all workplaces will reduce to critical functions and will take every reasonable step required to prevent people who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 from entering the workplace, in accordance with advice issued by the chief medical officer of health or Worksafe New Brunswick. They will also take every reasonable step required to prevent people from entering workplaces who have travelled internationally in the previous 14 days.
- All licences, registrations, certificates and permits issued by the Province of New Brunswick valid as of March 16, 2020, shall remain valid until May 31, 2020 unless suspended by a court or by other authority under an Act of the Province.
- The right of landlords under section 19 of the Residential Tenancies Act to require tenants to vacate for non-payment of rent, and the authority of residential tenancies officers under section 22 of that act to evict tenants for the same reason, are suspended, until May 31, 2020.
