N.L. reports 2 new COVID-19 cases
CBC News | Posted: December 28, 2020 5:42 PM | Last Updated: December 28, 2020
Number of active cases moves down to 19
Health officials are reporting two new cases of COVID-19 and four recoveries in Newfoundland and Labrador on Monday, lowering the number of active cases to 19.
The first new case is related to international travel, according to the Department of Health. The patient is a man in his 20s or 30s who is a resident of the province and is in isolation.
The second new case is also travel-related, a man in his 20s or 30s who returned from work in Alberta.
Both men are in the Eastern Health region, and contact tracing is complete in both cases.
All of the province's active cases are in Newfoundland.
The department also provided an update on Sunday's cases, saying the case with an unknown source of infection has been linked to travel after the woman returned to the province from work in Alberta.
So far, 363 people have recovered from the virus, with 71,804 people being tested in total. One person remains in hospital due to COVID-19.
Following the announcement of three positive cases between Thursday and Sunday, public health officials issued an advisory asking passengers who travelled on Air Canada 7480 from Montreal to St. John's on Dec. 22 to call 811 for COVID-19 testing.
Oilsands outbreak
As part of Monday's news release, the department advised rotational workers of a COVID-19 outbreak at the TC Energy Cold Lake oilsands site in Alberta. Workers from this province have been on site, the department said.
The release noted that rotational workers who have returned from that site in the last two weeks must self-isolate and distance themselves from family members. They must also complete a full 14-day isolation, regardless of their COVID-19 test result.
Rule changes for rotational workers announced in November, which permit workers to complete a COVID-19 test on Day 7 of their return to the province, do not apply to workers returning a site with an ongoing outbreak.
The latest COVID-19 information from the Department of Health will continue to be issued via press release for the remainder of 2020, with no media briefings scheduled until the new year.