N.B.-N.S. border mayors give vaccine requirement thumbs up

The Nova Scotia government has imposed stricter restrictions on New Brunswickers travelling to the province, and mayors on either side of the border say it makes sense. 

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, all New Brunswickers who have not been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days will be required to self-isolate. 

Those who have been vaccinated with one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to entering the province will be subject to seven days of isolation and required to present a negative test, and those without any vaccination dose will be required to isolate for 14 days. 

Those who have been fully vaccinated will not need to self-isolate when they arrive in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Monday that Nova Scotia is starting to see cases linked directly to New Brunswick.

"People who choose to be unvaccinated are going to have to go through extra measures to keep the rest of us safe," he said.

For Amherst Mayor David Kogon, the decision is "very realistic and reasonable." 

"The people of Nova Scotia collectively are still considered vulnerable," he said, noting the province's population has yet to reach the 75 per cent "fully vaccinated" threshold.

Kogon said that with the recent rise in New Brunswick's COVID-19 case numbers, it makes sense that Public Health recommended Nova Scotia add a layer of protection at the borders. 

New Brunswick reported 15 new cases on Tuesday and a total active case count of 167, with 97 of those in the Moncton region.

"I think the message from all of this is, people should get their vaccinations as soon as possible," Kogon said.

Just across the border in New Brunswick, Sackville Mayor Shawn Mesheau echoed support for Nova Scotia's restrictions – and the call to ramp up vaccinations – saying the province is doing what's best for its residents. 

"We have to continue to be diligent, COVID-19 is not going away," said Mesheau. 

"We have to get it in check and make sure people are vaccinated."                              

Border community impact

Throughout the pandemic, concerns were raised for residents of Sackville, Amherst and other border communities who cross the border on a daily basis for essential services, work and to visit family.

"It's caused delays with people having to get over to Nova Scotia for medical appointments and ... the movement of goods," said Mesheau.  

While he supports Nova Scotia's decision, Mesheau said he hopes it won't cause more delays for those who need to travel across the border. 

Kogon said he doesn't believe these new restrictions will change much for those communities. 

"The interaction between these communities is very strong and has been functioning very well with limited restrictions, which these are," he said. 

Kogon said he hasn't heard much concern about these new restrictions from local residents and he doesn't anticipate long delays at the border. 

If anything, he said, these communities were more likely to get vaccinated early on to avoid inconvenience at the border.