New Brunswick health officials reported 14 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the number of total active cases in the province to 184.
Four of the new cases are located in the Saint John region, five in the Fredericton region, three in Edmundston and one each in Campbellton and Bathurst. The province says all cases are self-isolating and are under investigation.
“The COVID-19 virus is all around us,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, in a news release Sunday.
“If you have any symptoms, please get tested and follow Public Health guidance and advice. By getting tested and properly self-isolating when required, we will help protect our health-care system and our vaccination rollout plan.”
Sunday marks the largest number of active cases of COVID-19 the province has had since the pandemic began. The whole province remains under the orange level of COVID-19 recovery.
To date, the province has confirmed 779 cases of the virus and 585 of those have recovered. There have been nine deaths as a result of the coronavirus.
As of Sunday, 162,098 tests have been completed in New Brunswick.
Update on school closures
On Friday, the province said three positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed at Woodstock High School, and one case was confirmed at Townsview School in Woodstock.
“Due to the high level of activity in the area, all students and staff from Townsview School and Woodstock High School are required to self-isolate for 48 hours (Saturday and Sunday) to allow for contact tracing,” said the province.
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COVID-19 cases reported at 2 N.B. schools, Public Health asks all students, staff to self-isolate
Townsview and Woodstock High will both have operational response days on Monday, the province said on Sunday. “Students will stay home while school staff prepare for remote learning,” read the release.
On Tuesday, students will begin learning from home until at least Jan. 15. Family members will be notified of any potential impacts on the following week.
“I understand this is an incredibly stressful time for families and I want to thank everyone for their patience,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy, in the release.
“I want to assure everyone that school, district and department staff are working closely with Public Health to address these situations and keep our schools healthy and safe. We are committed to keeping families informed as the situation evolves and being part of the collective effort to keep our students and staff safe.”
The province also said on Friday one positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed at Académie Notre-Dame in Dalhousie and another case was confirmed at Polyvalente Roland-Pépin in Campbellton.
In the Sunday release, N.B. health officials said operational response plans are being rolled out at both of those schools. “School staff will reach out to families directly regarding any impacts on learning throughout this afternoon and evening,” read the release.
In the meantime, the province announced the day prior that students travelling into New Brunswick from other Canadian provinces due to formal custody or care agreements must now receive weekly COVID-19 tests. This also applies to students in kindergarten to Grade 8 living in Quebec or Nova Scotia who are attending school in New Brunswick.