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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/possible-exposure-at-two-rinks-1.5800503

N.B. COVID-19 roundup: two rinks identified for possible exposure

Arenas in Sussex and at Rothesay Netherwood school identified

Mia Urquhart· CBC News· Posted: Nov 13, 2020 7:35 AM AT

The Town of Sussex is advising anyone who visited its hockey rink Tuesday to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. (Town of Sussex)

A second hockey rink in the Saint John region has had a possible COVID-19 exposure. 

Rothesay Netherwood School was notified Thursday by Public Heath officials about the potential exposure at its rink, said Paul McLellan, head of school at RNS. 

McLellan said there were two possible exposure times — Sunday between 2:30 and 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 12:30 to 2 p.m. 

In a letter issued to parents, he said the school was informed "that a parent of a hockey player in the Gusto Program has tested positive and was in our arena." 

Gusto Hockey is a skills-development program run by the private school but often used by minor hockey players from surrounding associations. 

McLellan told parents Public Health "stressed that the risk to our community is low and that there is nothing for us to do at this point." 

In an interview, he said the school did a thorough cleaning of the rink and things are back to normal operations.

Paul McLellan, head of school at Rothesay Netherwood School, said there were possible COVID-19 exposures at the RNS arena Sunday and Wednesday. (Paul McLellan/Twitter)

He said the officials with Gusto kept a list of everyone who entered the facility and provided that information to Public Health to assist with contact tracing. 

"Their vigilance is a good example of the way things should go," said McLellan.

 Those who had close contact with the positive parent were notified by Public Health, he said. 

McLellan said there may be some changes to the rink's schedule, but other facilities at RNS have not been impacted.

Sussex reveals possible exposure at town rink

On Thursday night, the Town of Sussex announced a possible COVID-19 exposure at its hockey rink earlier this week. 

In a message posted to its Facebook page, the town said Public Health has identified a possible exposure at the 8th Hussars Sports Centre on Tuesday. It advises anyone — player or visitor — who was at the rink on Tuesday to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.

A letter sent to the town and addressed to "patrons" of the rink, states, "This letter is to tell you that Public Health has found that you may have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19."

While Public Health announced a new case in the Saint John region, Zone 2, in a news release on Thursday, it did not include a warning about a possible public exposure at the rink. 

On Thursday, Public Health said the new case in Zone 2 is a person in their 30s. The case is related to travel outside the Atlantic bubble and the person is self-isolating.

• COVID-19 outbreak ends at special-care home in Moncton

Scott Hatcher, the chief administrative officer for the town, said they were notified by Public Health on Thursday and were asked to turn over contact tracing information.

Hatcher said user groups are required to keep track of everyone who comes into the building. Minor hockey teams, for example, are required to screen all players who enter the building and any accompanying adults.

The idea is that if there is an exposure, groups can turn over contact information for everyone who was in the building during the period of exposure. 

Hatcher said it was the first test of the town's operational response plan, and he believes the process worked well for the Nov. 10 incident. 

In addition to providing contact information to Public Health, Hatcher said staff then took "additional steps" as outlined in the operational plan for the arena, including a deep cleaning of surfaces. All that was done on Thursday without any interruption to user groups, he said. 

Saint John and Moncton regions each have new case

Public Health announced two new cases on Friday. One is an individual between 20 and 29 in Zone 1, the Moncton region, and the other is an individual 19 or under in Zone 2, the Saint John region.

Both cases are under investigation and the individuals are self isolating.

There are now 14 active cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, and one person is in intensive care. The latest cases bring the total number of confirmed cases to 358. 

There have been six deaths, and 338 people with the virus have recovered since the pandemic reached New Brunswick in March.

N.B. relaxes rule against letting citizens in from U.S.

"Effective today, visits to immediate family in New Brunswick that were previously restricted to residents of Canadian provinces and territories are now open to anyone approved by Canada Border Services Agency and approved through the New Brunswick Travel Registration Program," according to a press release from the province Friday afternoon.

To find out who qualifies as "an immediate" family member, visit the province's Travel Information page.

Anyone who qualifies must be symptom-free and must self-isolate for 14 days, or the duration of the visit if shorter than 14 days.

Partying university students warned

Meanwhile, university students are apparently partying like it's pre-COVID times. 

Students were reminded before Halloween about the rules for off-campus social gatherings, but some don't seem to have heeded the warning. 

In a statement issued Thursday, Paul Mazerolle, president and vice-chancellor of the University of New Brunswick, said Fredericton police confirmed that large gatherings of students "had taken place off-campus that were not in compliance with New Brunswick Public Health guidelines.

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