Restrictions for Areas of HRM and Hants County Why Are Restrictions

Restrictions for areas of HRM and Hants County

Why are restrictions only for Halifax? Why not the whole province? Some of these restrictions are provincewide and all other parts of the province need to continue following the public health measures that were already in place.

However, at the beginning of the pandemic, we shut down the entire province. We are trying to avoid doing that again by taking a targeted approach. The rise in cases we are currently seeing is in urban and some suburban areas of Halifax Regional Municipality, so the added restrictions only apply in the areas outlined above.

What are the provincewide restrictions? The following new restrictions apply across the province from November 26 to December 9:

• There will be no visitors except volunteers and designated caregivers to long-term care facilities • There will be no visitors except volunteers and designated caregivers to adult residential centres and regional rehabilitation centres licensed by the Department of Community Services • Sports teams are restricted to local or regional play only • There will be no extracurricular activities between schools, including sports, but there can be sport activities among students in the same classroom cohort

To further protect our most vulnerable, staff, volunteers and designated caregivers at long-term facilities in HRM will undergo voluntary, bi-weekly testing. It will be phased in starting November 27.

What are the boundaries for HRM and Hants County restrictions? The restrictions apply to western and central Halifax Regional Municipality (from the Lunenburg County line up to and including Porters Lake) and from the Atlantic Ocean up to and including the communities of Elmsdale and Mount Uniacke in Hants County. The restrictions do not include the Eastern Shore past Porters Lake. Please see a fuller list of affected communities on the website.

What are the restrictions in these areas if Halifax Regional Municipality and Hants County? In the areas of HRM and Hants County described above, the following restrictions are in place from November 26 to December 9:

• Restaurants and licenced establishments are closed for in-person dining but may provide takeout or delivery – hotel restaurants can remain open to serve their guests only • Retail stores must restrict shoppers and staff to 25% or less of allowable capacity • Wineries, distilleries and breweries cannot hold tastings or in-person dining, but can operate their storefronts following retail rules and provide delivery and curbside pickup • The casino and First Nations gaming establishments are closed, as well as including VLT operations in other licensed establishments • Not-for-profit and for-profit fitness, recreational and leisure facilities are closed, including outdoor fitness classes • Organized sports and physical activities, arts and cultural activities, festivals, social events, and special events are paused • Libraries and museums are closed, including the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, but libraries can offer curbside service • Faith-based activities, weddings and funerals can have no more than 5 people plus officiants • Non-medical masks are mandatory in common areas of multi-unit residential buildings, such as apartment buildings and condos

Personal services businesses such as hairstylists, estheticians and nail salons can continue to provide services that can only be done with both staff and patrons wearing non-medical masks. They are not allowed to do procedures that require removing a patron’s mask.

Schools, after-school programs and child care centres remain open.

TRAVEL

Can people travel in and out of the areas of HRM and Hants County described above? We are asking people not to travel in and out of this area if it’s not necessary. People can travel for necessary reasons like work and school that cannot be done virtually, medical appointments, and getting essentials like groceries.

People should not travel if it is not necessary. If it’s possible to postpone necessary travel, that is preferable for the health and safe of all Nova Scotians.

People from Halifax are going to other communities for groceries because there have been exposures in stores in HRM. Should they be doing that? No. People should continue to go to their usual grocery store. They should not travel outside the areas of HRM and Hants County described above unless it is necessary.

The closest grocery store for people who live in Hubbards is in Lunenburg County. Can they still go there? Yes. People have to use common sense with these restrictions.

Will people be fined if they travel when it is not necessary? No. We're asking Nova Scotians not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary. These measures are in place for 2 weeks to help prevent COVID-19 from spreading to other parts of the province.

Does an employer have the right to ask if an employee has traveled outside the Atlantic bubble, or in the affected areas of HRM/Hants County? Yes, an employer has the right to ask if an employee has travelled outside the Atlantic bubble within the past 14 days or if they have travelled to Halifax or one of the sites listed in a public health exposure notice. However, the employer cannot ask which locations or sites they visited.

Can people go outside HRM to get a COVID-19 test? People may travel to/from the areas of HRM and Hants County described above for health care and specialist appointments but should not travel to another area of the province for a COVID-19 test.

Do people who live in New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland have to self-isolate when they enter Nova Scotia? No. There are no changes our border policy at this time. We strongly discourage traveling anywhere unless it is necessary, but if you must go to another Atlantic province, make sure you are aware of the restrictions they currently have in place.

GATHERING LIMITS

How many people can gather now? From November 26 to December 9 in the areas of HRM and Hants County described above, the gathering limit is 5.

What happens if you have more than 5 people in your household? Some households have more than 5 people. These household members can continue to interact without physical distancing at home and when they go out.

Does the limit of 5 apply to the number of family members or people from the same household who can enter a store together? There is no limit on how many members of a household can enter a store together. However, we strongly encourage only one household member to go to a store at a time.

If you already have 5 people in your household, does this mean you can’t let anyone else come into your house? Regardless of the number of people in your household, you can have up to 5 visitors at a time from November 26 to December 9 areas of HRM and Hants County described above. We also recognize you may need to let people into your home for different reasons such as child care, urgent repairs, etc. That is allowed.

Are common spaces of condo and apartment buildings restricted to 5 people? No, the limit of 5 does not apply to entryways, hallways, etc. However, if the building as a common room for social gatherings, the limit applies to that space.

Can weddings and funerals happen? Weddings and funerals can happen with a maximum of 5 people, plus officiants. Officiants are people who are necessary for performing the service or ceremony, such as a minister, justice of the peace, or funeral director. Service providers such a photographer are not officiants.

Does the limit of 5 apply to dining and social gatherings in long-term care facilities? Yes, the limit of 5 applies to gatherings in long-term care facilities. This adds to the other measures in place to protect these residents.

BUSINESSES

How many people can be in a store at the same time from November 26 to December 9 areas of HRM and Hants County described above? The number of people who can be in a retail store depends on how much space you have. Retail stores cannot have more than 25% of their maximum occupancy on the premises at a time. That includes both staff and customers. They must also ensure physical distancing is maintained.

How many people can line up outside a store from November 26 to December 9 areas of HRM and Hants County described above? If they are lining up indoors in a mall, there can only be 5 people in the line at a time, physical distancing is required, and they must wear non-medical masks.

If they are lining up outside, there is no limit on the number of people in the line. Physical distancing is required. Non-medical masks are required even though it is outdoors.

Does the limit of 5 apply to business meetings or training? Yes, from November 26 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above, no more than 5 people can gather for a meeting or training, regardless of room capacity.

Does the limit of 5 apply to fitness facilities and classes? Can classes continue if they are outdoors? Fitness facilities, such as gyms, yoga studios and pools, are closed from November 26 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above. That includes outdoor classes.

Does the limit of 5 apply to day cares, day camps or before and after school programs? No, the limit of 15 without physical distancing within each group remains in place for these settings.

Will you grandfather people who have booked venues for holiday parties under the larger gathering limits, or do they have to scale back their events? They will have to scale back their events.

How will businesses survive if they have to close or lower their numbers at the busiest time of the year? We understand this is challenging for businesses. We’ve engaged them in discussion before making decisions on these restrictions. We’ve done our best to balance their business needs with the need to keep people safe.

A one-time grant of up to $5,000 is available to support businesses in the areas of HRM and Hants County described above that have been ordered to temporarily close. See more in the news release.

What should you do if you believe a business is not following the rules? If you have concerns about how a business is operating, you could speak with the manager. If you feel it’s necessary, you could contact the Safety Division at the Department of Labour and Advanced Education at 1-800-952-2687 or [email protected].

ACTIVITIES

Does the limit of 5 apply to organized sports and arts rehearsals/performances? These activities are paused from November 26 to December 9 areas of HRM and Hants County described above.

Can there be any sports at schools from November 26 to December 9? Across the province, organized sports teams are restricted to local or regional play only. In the affected areas of HRM and Hants County, organized sports - including varsity sports team practices – are paused completely.

Across the province, extracurricular activities between schools are paused, although they can take place within a classroom cohort in a school.

Can after school programs still happen? What’s considered an after school program? After school programs can continue. They offer care for children from Primary to Grade 6, five days a week for the entire school year. See more in the Before and After School Programs Guidelines. That is different from arts/culture/recreation programs that happen in the after school time period – for example, one day a week or a 10-week program. They are paused from November 26 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above.

Can people go to indoor playgrounds, bowling alleys, shooting ranges, golf courses, putting ranges, go- carts, climbing gyms, trampoline facilities, escape rooms, music lessons, dance classes, or facilities to play bingo, darts, pool/billiards, cards, etc? Those are all examples of fitness, recreation or leisure activities that cannot happen from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above. Also, some of them take place in licensed establishments that must remain closed (except for takeout or delivery) in these areas for this 2-week time period.

Can gyms and pools in condo and apartment buildings stay open? These are private residential spaces, not public spaces, so it is the choice of the owners whether to keep them open. If they stay open, there can be no more than 5 people in those spaces at a time and there should be frequent cleaning, especially of high-touch surfaces.

What restrictions are there for adult day programs? From November 20 to December 21, community-based adult day programs cannot operate in the areas of HRM and Hants County described above. These programs provide respite for caregivers of seniors who live in the community. They are different from general recreation programs for seniors, which are also paused for this 2-week period in these areas.

LONG-TERM CARE

Can family members still visit long-term care residents?

To protect our most vulnerable, visitors are not allowed to visit residents in long-term care facilities across the province from November 26 to December 9. During this period, only volunteers and designated caregivers allowed. The same is true for adult residential centres and regional rehabilitation centres licensed by the Department of Community Services.

What activities are currently allowed in long-term care facilities?

Gatherings • residents and staff can gather in groups of 5 or less for dining, recreation or socializing without physical distancing • groups should remain consistent and visitors cannot join

Licensed hair salons • licensed hair salons that operate within a long-term care home can be open to residents only • the salon must follow the guidelines set by the Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia and submit a safety plan to the facility within which it is located • a list of every resident who visited the salon, and when, must be maintained • no procedures that require removing a mask are allowed

Off-site bus/car trips • facilities can offer bus trips for groups of up to 5 people (including residents, staff and driver) • the trips must be for sightseeing only – residents and staff cannot disembark the bus • bus drivers must be screened using the same protocols as visitors to a facility and contact between the driver and residents/staff should be limited • the bus must be cleaned before and after use • facilities are expected to group the same residents together each time and maintain consistent staff, where possible • designated caregivers can take a resident for a drive as long as they wear mask, have nobody else in the car, and make no stops

Business and retail restrictions for areas of HRM and Hants County

What are the boundaries for HRM and Hants County restrictions? The restrictions apply to western and central Halifax Regional Municipality (from the border with Lunenburg County up to and including Porters Lake) and from the Atlantic Ocean up to and including the communities of Elmsdale and Mount Uniacke in Hants County. The restrictions do not include the Eastern Shore past Porters Lake. Please see a fuller list of affected communities on the website.

What are the business restrictions in the rest of the province, outside these areas of HRM and Hants County? There are no changes for businesses or retail stores outside these areas of HRM and Hants County – except that bars and restaurants provincewide must collect contact information from patrons for contact tracing.

Schools, after-school programs and child care centres remain open.

A one-time grant of up to $5,000 is available to support businesses in the areas of HRM and Hants County described above that have been ordered to temporarily close. See more in the news release.

What’s the definition of a retail business? A retail business is one that engages in the retail sale or rental of items to the public on ongoing basis at a fixed location.

What are restrictions specific to retail businesses from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above? • Limit shoppers and staff to 25% or less of allowable capacity • Ensure customers and staff can maintain physical distance (2 metres/6 feet apart) • Customers must maintain physical distance and wear non-medical masks when lined up to enter a retail business – both indoors and outdoors • The business cannot play music louder than 50 decibels so that normal conversation is possible • People in line ups must wear masks (both indoors and outdoors) and maintain physical distance • There is no limit to the number of people who can line up outdoors at a retail business

What are the restrictions specific to shopping malls from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above? All the rules noted above for retail businesses apply in shopping malls. In addition: • No more than 5 people at a time can line up at a retail business inside the mall and they must maintain physical distance • People are not permitted to loiter in any area of the mall • Directional markings are provided to manage the flow of people within the mall Furniture in common areas of the mall is removed or inaccessible • Non-retail public areas in the mall must be closed, other than public washrooms and hallways that give access to stores • The mall cannot play music louder than 50 decibels so that normal conversation is possible • Food court vendors can serve the public and people who work in the mall, but only people who work in the mall can sit in the food court to eat and there must be 2 metre/6 feet between tables

How many people can be in a retail store from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above? The number of people who can be in a retail store depends on how much space you have. For this period of time in this area, retail stores cannot have more than 25% of their maximum occupancy on the premises at a time. That includes both staff and customers. They must also ensure physical distancing is maintained.

If I have reached 25% of my store’s maximum occupancy, there isn’t enough room for everyone to stay 2 metres/6 feet apart. What should I do? In this case, you set a lower limit on the number of people who are on the premises at a time to ensure physical distancing.

How do I know what my retail store’s maximum occupancy is? Every business should already be aware of its maximum occupancy under the building code. If you don’t know your occupant load, you can calculate a safe number of occupants using 160 square feet per person. As an example, a retail space that is 4800 square feet can accommodate 30 people. A larger retail space of 12 000 square feet can accommodate 75 people. These numbers would still be dependant on there being enough room to ensure physical distancing.

Does the limit of 5 apply to day cares, day camps or before and after school programs? No, the limit of 15 without physical distancing remains in place for these settings.

Do farm farmers markets and flea markets have to close? Farmers markets and flea markets are considered retail operations if they have regular hours every day or week, the majority of their vendors are always the same, and the market serves as their retail outlet. Market operators need to ensure physical distancing and can only have 25% of the maximum occupancy, including vendors and customers. They need a COVID-19 prevention plan.

If the market is not a regular daily or weekly operation, they are considered special events that cannot happen from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above.

Can holiday craft shows and markets still happen? No, they are considered special events that cannot happen from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above.

Do businesses like indoor playgrounds, bowling alleys, shooting ranges, golf courses, putting ranges, go-carts, climbing gyms, trampoline facilities, escape rooms, etc have to close? What about businesses where people play bingo, darts, pool/billiards or cards? What about music lessons, dance classes, etc? Those are all fitness, recreation or leisure activities that cannot happen from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above. Also, some of them take place in licensed establishments that must remain closed (except for takeout or delivery) in these areas for this 2-week time period.

Can a hotel let people use its gym and pool? Hotel gyms and pools can be used by registered guests only and must be by appointment.

Can people travel in and out of the affected areas of HRM and Hants County for work purposes? We are asking people not to travel in and out of this area if it’s not necessary. People can travel for necessary reasons like work that has to be done and cannot be done virtually. However, if it’s possible to postpone this travel, that is preferable for the health and safe of all Nova Scotians. Can construction workers travel in and out of the affected areas of HRM and Hants County for work purposes? Can they still come in from outside the Atlantic bubble? People can continue to travel to and from their workplace. People who fit the specialized worker criteria can continue to come from outside Atlantic Canada to do urgent, critical work that can’t be done by anyone else in the region and self-isolate when not at work.

Can a business still host a larger gathering with the limits you announced on November 20? Are those limits still in effect? No large gatherings are allowed from November 23 to December 9 in areas of HRM and Hants County described above.

Subject: COVID-19 restricons update Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 5:10:13 PM Atlanc Standard Time From: Patrick Sullivan To: Patrick Sullivan CC: Kassinda Tolliver Aachments: FAQ Halifax area restricons UPDATED NOVEMBER 27.pdf, FAQ HRM Hants area business and retail restricons UPDATED NOVEMBER 27.pdf

Good Afternoon Patrick:

Here’s the information you need to know about this week’s announcements. Last night the province provided clarity around many of the restrictions they have put in place for Halifax area and Hants County. In addition, the province announced a new program for many of the businesses ordered closed in a targeted continuation of the Small Business Impact Grant. I also wanted to present additional details on the Canadian Emergency Rent Subsidy and a new program called the Black Entrepreneurship Program.

You will find two attachments to this email that provide additional information on the following:

1. Business and retail restrictions for areas of HRM and Hants County a. This provides information and clarity on number of people allowed in a business and what maximum capacity entails. b. Specifics on the limit of 5 people. c. Specifics on restrictions in malls

2. Restrictions for areas of HRM and Hants County a. The boundaries on the restrictions b. Travel c. Gathering Limits

Nova Scotia Small Business Impact Grant for Restaurants, Bars and Gyms This new program was announced on Thursday of this week. It will provide up to 15% of average gross monthly revenues for April 2019, or from February 2020 if it is a new business, up to a maximum of $5,000. Businesses must experience a revenue decrease of 30 per cent or more in November as a result of the ongoing impacts of the public health order or expect at least a 30 per cent decrease in revenues in December 2020 resulting from the new measures put in place this week. Here is the link to the program There is not yet clarity on the opening dates for this program, but I believe it will be within about 10 days. Although it has not been clearly stated in the release, any organization that has previously applied for the Small Business Impact Grant in the spring are being reviewed for eligibility again now and will be contacted proactively next week. Following the review of previous applicant’s new application details will be made available.

Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy

Here are some additional details on the CERS which can now receive applications from qualifying organizations. These organizations can now apply directly for the subsidy for the period from September 27 to October 24, 2020 through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) My Business Account, or Represent a Client portals. Applications for the second CERS period (October 25 to November 21, 2020) will open this Monday, November 30.

Organizations can now include rent and other eligible amounts already paid in respect to a claim period as well as amounts that are payable for the claim period when submitting their CERS applications. Amounts that are not paid at the time of the application will have to be paid no later

Page 1 of 2 than 60 days after payment of the subsidy.

The CRA has launched a CERS online calculator and application form that are designed almost identically to those of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). The calculator guides applicants through a step-by-step process that allows them to determine the subsidy amount they can claim, based on the information they enter. The CERS web pages include detailed information about eligibility requirements, how payment periods are structured, and how the subsidy is calculated.

The CRA will collect applications over the coming days and, on November 30, process applications received to date. Qualifying organizations whose claims successfully clear the CRA’s automated verification system and that are registered for direct deposit should expect to begin receiving payments starting on December 4. In cases where the CRA does not have enough information on file to process a claim, we will ask organizations to provide us with additional information so that we can verify their eligibility before we process their application.

Black Entrepreneurship Program

This week the federal government also announced the opening of applications for the Black Entrepreneurship Program’s National Ecosystem Fund and the Black Entrepreneurship Program’s Knowledge Hub.

The National Ecosystem Fund will provide funding to Black-led not-for-profit business organizations to strengthen their capacity to provide support, financial planning services and business training for Black entrepreneurs and business owners. Black-led not-for-profit business organizations that serve Black entrepreneurs and Black-owned businesses are encouraged to apply through the National Ecosystem Fund web page by December 21, 2020.

More information about the third pillar of the Black Entrepreneurship Program, the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, will be available as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued support of the Chamber. We’re in your corner and remember to support local this weekend!

Sincerely,

Patrick Sullivan President & CEO Halifax Chamber of Commerce

P.S. This Friday, Dec 4th from 12:00-12:45pm the Halifax Chamber will be hosting a fireside chat with The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, as the Canadian Government releases their 2020 Economic Statement this coming week. Please join us on Friday about what this means for businesses in Atlantic Canada. Full details will be on our event website on Monday afternoon at www.HalifaxChamber.com/events

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Nova Scotia Business & Labour Economic Coalition Meeting # 63 Summary Wednesday, November 25, 2020 11:00 pm – 12:00 pm

Welcome

• Review of summary notes: o Comments or clarification of minutes - None

• Review of recent coverage - None

Reminder- All invited to additional meeting, starting next Friday, December 4, 2020.

• Updates from government

Federal

ACOA Chuck Maillet • Black Entrepreneurs Eco System Fund: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/150.nsf/eng/00003.html

MP Andy Fillmore • Rental Subsidy- The mandatory lockdown for bars, restaurants and reduced capacity for retail will help with our case numbers. • Please let me know if you have any questions about the federal support • Link for Wage Subsidy info: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue- agency/services/subsidy/emergency-rent-subsidy.html • Phone number for inquiries: 1-800-959-5525

Provincial

DM Bernie Miller • Thank you to the restaurant operators and Association for seeing the need for quick action. • This is a good example of federal programming aligning with provincial restrictions.

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• The Tourism Accommodation Program is progressing well with quite a few applications in.

Paul MacKinnon: • The premier has a huge platform. It would be VERY useful if he expressed that one of the ways we can support one another is for people to do holiday takeout and holiday online shopping at LOCAL businesses. We will be pushing this message, but he could use his voice to really reinforce this. Could it be part of every press conference statement? This ultimately will make rebuilding the economy less expensive.

Jordi Morgan • Clarity for the 25% capacity for businesses. • Answer- DM Miller- We will provide more detail. The actual wording of the order is being developed. It doesn’t matter if you are a big box or small businesses, it is the number of people coming into your store. Retailers, we are ultimately, we are trying to avoid having high numbers of people in one place.

Municipal

Mayor Savage • Fully support the provincial government actions taken yesterday • We are providing our support where possible. • We are working with public health for Transit on what we can do with the rate of cases. We will be announcing some changes shortly.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Strang, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Nova Scotia

I want to start by recognizing the work and collaboration done with and by all stakeholders.

• We are well into the second wave, but early on. It remains, largely, in the 18-35 age range. The virus thrives when people socialize together. • We are focusing on breaking the chain of transmission. This is about getting people to work, to keep our schools open and allow people to do their essential shopping and then home. If you live in HRM, stay in HRM, if you don’t, don’t come in. • We want to keep this from spreading further into other age groups • If we do things well in HRM, then we are protecting the rest of NS. You just have to look at the rest of Canada and the challenges they are facing. Those provinces are going to take a lot longer to recover as they are a lot further down the road. As hard as these

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restrictions are, it will help us recover quicker. When we start lifting restrictions, we will have to incrementally re-open things. • https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restriction-updates/ • People should feel comfortable calling the non-emergency line when they see irresponsible behaviour.

Questions:

• Who is monitoring the shopping centers and big box stores for following proper public health requirements? I visited and quickly turned around from two places in the last week where there was zero enforcement of physical distancing and limits on number of people inside. Example…one big box store. Lineups from cash to the other side of the building on both sides of the aisle ways. These places are out of control and I am very surprised we have not seen outbreaks in these places. • Answer: We were never at 25% of capacity. This is new. We are going to be using provincial enforcement to ensure this is followed. A Priority is focusing on the retail environment.

• Dr. Strang announced all gyms to be closed at midnight tonight. I have some Hotel Managers asking for clarification like hotel restaurants. Do gym closures include hotel gyms? My response to the hotel managers has been all gyms. • Answer- One person in gym, with cleaning. I will have to check on this

• If everyone flying in from outside Atlantic Canada was isolating, hotels would be busier with isolation guests. We are not seeing those numbers. (If they are going to shut down our economy, they have to control the movement of people flying in from other provinces, otherwise we will be opening and closing for months and months.) • This was a statement, rather than a question

• Has public health talked directly with HIAA to determine how testing could be designed/accommodated at Halifax Stanfield? We heard from Dr. Hachette two weeks

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ago that rapid testing at the airport is not feasible but have you actually spoken to airport officials, who understand passenger flow and activity at the airport, how arrivals testing could work? • Answer- I have not been involved with direct conversations. Testing someone does not allow us to modify or remove the quarantine. We must deploy our rapid testing/testing. We are doing a blitz of testing right now. We have over 6000 people booking tests. Testing at the border is not good enough to relax the quarantine, so then we ask why rapid test? A longer-term strategy on how to use rapid testing is something we are looking at for the spring.

• We have a few cafe type facilities that with my advice because of their operation started collecting contact tracing information from everyone to meet the requirement to collect information for those sitting. They don’t have the staff numbers to monitor who is sitting and not, so just get everyone. This has already been met with some resistance, if someone won’t provide their information, should they be denying service? They are concerned that they will be penalized for the action or inaction of others. • Answer- There is no dine-in service, so that is irrelevant.

• If an office like ours has room for social distancing (and has been open since August) are we still ok for the next two weeks and onwards to continue coming into the office or is the recommendation to close and have people working from home? • Answer- I'm not suggesting that everyone works from home, but if you have a health issue then you can speak with your manager.

• After listening to the announcement today, I am not sure if this impacts business meetings. Can you ask Dr. Strang if this affects the indoor gathering limit of 100 people or 50% capacity? • Answer- No Gatherings. Home gatherings can have an extra 5 people.

• “I want to buy a Laser from the States and I am wondering if the recent restrictions regarding the increase in COVID-19 cases will prevent me from having this piece of equipment installed here in Dartmouth?” What is the process for people to come in from the US to do installation of equipment for a business? • Answer- We are looking at this process, but it must be essential and urgent.

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• I’ve had a number of calls from establishments that have been named as potential exposure sites some have received calls from public health, others have not. Once they are named the inquiries from staff and patrons come flooding in and they don’t know what to do. Close? Get tested? Tell patrons to get tested? Public health has to provide clarity because they create a situation by naming but then provide little to no direction on what to do. • Answer- There are times when we just can’t get a hold of people. Everyone should be more vigilant about their symptoms.

• Given the incubation period, will we really have enough info to make a decision about ending the temporary closured in 2 weeks. Or should we realistically already be planning for at least 3 weeks with current restrictions? • Answer- Keeping it in a level of control that we can manage. It might well be more than 2-weeks. This type of lockdown has shown that it has the best chance of working.

• Just looking for clarification. When students come home outside of the Atlantic bubble for the Holidays. Does their whole family need to isolate? I thought that was the case, but others don't agree with me. • Answer- We have a protocol of strict isolation inside their home. All university students need to have plans for quarantine.

• I'm wondering if you could offer advice to employers on what their responsibility is to inform employees of the potential exposure locations being published each day. • Answer- Good practice to remind employees of where the information is, then they have the responsibility themselves.

• Thank you for your time today (and every day for the past 8 months), Dr. Strang. Are you considering restricting travel (without self-isolation) between the NS/NB border? • Answer- We are not looking at that now.

Other:

1. Please join us for a free virtual Event: The virtual Road to Recovery summit was created to provide practical information, economic updates and most importantly, hope to our region as we navigate the pandemic.

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• https://business.halifaxchamber.com/events/details/road-to-recovery-virtual-summit- 2687?calendarMonth=2020-11-01 2. Great resource of local businesses! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iFSCr962FKg_Dj0tXaa2Q4rOIaL4cVkW 3. If a business need help getting online, direct them to the Halifax Partnership Shop HERE program: https://halifaxpartnership.com/how-we-help/covid-19-support/shophere/

Next meeting planned for Wednesday, December 2 at 11:00 am

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Nova Scotia Business & Labour Economic Coalition Meeting # 64 Agenda Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:00 pm – 12:00 pm

Mandate of group:

1. To have a point of contact for government as they make rapid decisions for this group to provide feedback or distribute information. 2. To advocate for businesses and employees at this time. 3. To work with the Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments at this time to ensure Nova Scotians are taken care of at a time of reduced economic activity. 4. To eventually work to develop a recovery plan for the businesses and employees in our area.

Welcome

• Review of summary notes: o Comments or clarification of minutes

• Review of recent coverage

• Updates from government

o Federal o Provincial o Municipal

Top issues - Roundtable

Next meeting planned for Friday, December 4 at 11:00 am

Zoom Meeting Details: https://halifaxchamber.zoom.us/j/93926300188?pwd=MVBkek1oYTdnRFZUeW5FRVJSTVRuQT09 Toll Free: 1-855-703-8985 Meeting ID: 939 2630 0188 Password: 009658