Nova Scotia lifts COVID-19 Health Protection Act Order

CITYnews halifax \ By Mark Hodgins

More than three years after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Nova Scotia, the province is rescinding pandemic-era rules.

Nova Scotia has lifted the Health Protection Act Order, the mandatory vaccination protocol for high-risk settings and the directive around COVID-19 management in long-term care facilities, the government announced on Tuesday morning.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang said COVID-19 will now be treated the same way other viruses are.

“It is important to note that while COVID-19 no longer requires an emergency-type response, we continue to monitor COVID-19 activity and will adjust our plan as needed, as we do with other diseases,” said Dr. Strang. “As we begin to plan for the upcoming respiratory season this fall, we are taking a more general approach, integrating COVID-19 into our respiratory illnesses program. The same type of personal measures that protect us against COVID-19 will also protect us against influenza and other respiratory illnesses.”

As for vaccination policies, government says operators of high-risk facilities will be responsible moving forward, so people with questions are being told to get in touch with organizations directly.

The change in provincial policy comes after the World Health Organization recently announced COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency.