Strang not recommending bringing back COVID-19 mandates despite rise in cases

‘Restrictive measures have societal consequences too,’ said Dr. Robert Strang

CITYnews halifax \ Chris Halef

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As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the province, Nova Scotia’s top doctor says widespread public health restrictions and mandates are no longer necessary to manage the virus.

Cases of COVID-19 have been rising since the province lifted all public health restrictions last month.

The latest COVID-19 weekly report showed there were 6,991 positive PCR tests and eight COVID-19 deaths in the last week.

The rise in numbers has resulted in calls to bring back some public measures, including masking, but Dr. Robert Strang said, though restrictions played an important role earlier in the pandemic, they were never meant to be in place forever.

“Restrictive measures have societal consequences too,” said Strang. “They impact mental health, people’s jobs, the economy and their social connections. And those harms tend to have a disproportionate impact on marginalized and disadvantaged populations.”

Strang said at this time, public health is not recommending the use of restrictive measures.

“I’m confident that we are in a position to manage this pandemic without restrictions even with the virus activity we are seeing,” he said.

Strang said it’s time to shift the control of COVID-19 back to individuals and families, adding they have the knowledge and tools to get through this latest wave of the virus.