Students react as Fredericton returns to yellow phase
FREDERICTON — After a “marked improvement” in the number of COVID-19 cases, Zone 1 (Moncton region) and Zone 3 (Fredericton region) moved back to the yellow phase of New Brunswick’s COVID-19 recovery plan while Zone 2 (Saint John region) will remain in the orange phase.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said Public Health officials support the move by the all-party cabinet, which took effect at midnight on Dec. 6. Still, she reminded New Brunswickers to stay cautious.
“The danger of further COVID-19 infections has not gone away and we have not reduced the risk to zero,” said Russell. “Yellow means ‘caution,’ it is not an invitation to go into full speed ahead into life as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The move back to yellow means residents living in those regions can gather outside of their single household bubble and don’t have to wear masks in many settings, such as an outdoor public space.
Zone 2 remains in the orange phase as there are still several active cases and the risk of transmission or outbreaks remains high. After an assessment Tuesday, the region won’t make the transition any time soon. Still, Russell encourages residents to stay positive.
“Don’t give up, you’re doing a great job. You just have a bigger hill to climb,” she said.
Russell said health authorities reduced restrictions in Zones 1 and 3 after increased compliance with Public Health rules. She said it remains “vitally important” for New Brunswickers to follow guidelines like wearing masks, physical distancing and limiting their contacts.
Premier Blaine Higgs said more New Brunswickers are complying with the guidelines and has hope for those living in Zone 2. He said Public Health would monitor that region to see if it can transition back to yellow soon.
As restrictions loosen in parts of the province, many New Brunswickers are concerned about how it will affect the holidays. Russell said she is “very concerned” about the spread of COVID-19 between now and January.
“We’ve been able to avoid the disasters from other provinces and we need to keep that up,” she said.
Celine Sterckel, a first-year student at St. Thomas University, said she shares Russell’s concern about the holidays. She hopes her hometown of Moncton will stay in yellow so she can spend Christmas with her family, including her brother, who no longer lives at home.
“I think if everyone keeps in mind that [COVID-19]’s not 100 per cent gone and they take precautions that we can avoid having all the cases rise up again,” said Sterckel. “But it has to be everyone and not just a certain number of people that take these precautions.”
After hearing the news that Fredericton moved to yellow, Christen Curran-Wall, a fourth-year criminology and sociology student, said she was shocked. She figured the zone would’ve stayed in orange for a while longer, adding the move seemed quick to her.
As someone from Saint John, Curran-Wall thought it was interesting that its zone didn’t move to yellow along with Fredericton and Moncton. Still, she said the news “does kind of suck.”
“I’ve talked to my family and they’re really bummed out, like, they can’t see my sister,” she said. “So I’m hoping Saint John will be back to yellow before Christmas so I can see our bubble family and my sister.”
Curran-Wall said even if she can’t spend the holidays with her extended family, she will gladly trade it for a “low key chill Christmas.” As a student, she said it comes as a benefit since it gives her more time to relax over the break.
“It’ll be kind of nice to just chill with my family.”
