Coronavirus Update: Aroostook County, Maine & New Brunswick

MAINE UPDATE: The Maine Center for Disease Control today reports 701 new coronavirus cases and 11 more deaths in its daily tracking count. Aroostook County has 18 new infections today. Meanwhile, thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccine are being pulled due to improper storage conditions during shipment to the state. Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah said the 4,400 doses of Moderna’s vaccine exceeded the required temperature during their journey to 35 sites in the state. He said the sites have set the vaccine doses aside and will receive replacement doses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating how and why the error happened.

NEW BRUNSWICK UPDATE: Zones 1, 2 & 3 - Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton regions are moving to the Red level today. Zone 4 (Edmundston region) remains at the Red level under the province’s recovery plan. The number of active cases in the province is up to 316. New Brunswick reported 31 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Public Health also confirmed an individual in their 80s died at a Saint John nursing home as a result of underlying complications, including COVID-19. 

A change has been made which keeps K-12 schools open even at the Red level. This will be done with enhanced health and safety measures including: Students and staff stay home if they have even one symptom of COVID-19. School staff are actively screened when they report to work each day. If a positive case of COVID-19 is confirmed at a school in the Red level, the school will be closed for a minimum of three days to allow for contact tracing. Public health officials say a positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at École Régionale Saint-Basile.

Premier Blaine Higgs reminded small businesses impacted by the new restrictions that they could be eligible for financial relief in the form of a non-repayable grant. Through Opportunities New Brunswick, these grants of up to $5,000 will be available for small businesses that have been subject to Orange or Red alert level measures for at least one week.

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