PM called urgent meeting with premiers over Omicron concerns, says Furey
CBC
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says the prime minister called together Canada's premiers in an urgent meeting Tuesday night to discuss the prevalence of the fast-spreading coronavirus variant Omicron.
Furey said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went over recommendations the federal government is considering for the country's international borders and for travel based on the increasing amount of information about the variant, and those recommendations are expected to be announced within the next few days.
"The transmissibility certainly seems to be quite concerning and should cause us all to reflect on our own public health measures," Furey told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show on Wednesday.
"I think we need to take this variant very seriously given its transmissibility and given what impact it can have on our health-care system."
Furey said he can't talk about what the federal government might announce this week, as the recommendations discussed Tuesday night's meeting are not definitive.
He did say, however, that they could include tightening border restrictions in general but changes to domestic travel are not being considered right now.
"We do know that this variant does penetrate the double dose of vaccine, but it's certainly more effective than no dose of vaccine," he said.
Newfoundland and Labrador will be monitoring other jurisdictions closely, said the premier.
"I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Fitzgerald and her team to provide a balanced, measured approach as we try to tackle this new variant."
On the home front, Furey said Fitzgerald and the public health team are looking into increasing the availability of rapid test kits for people travelling to the province. He said domestic travellers may be included in the using of rapid tests, but an official announcement is expected to be made during Wednesday's COVID-19 briefing at 2 p.m. NT.
Meanwhile, in a letter to parents, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District says a member of the Eastside Elementary School community in Corner Brook has tested positive for COVID-19. The letter does not say if it's a student or faculty member.
Parents and guardians of students who are deemed to be close contacts will receive more information from public health said the district, and said if parents didn't receive a message from public health by 9 p.m. Tuesday night, their child is not considered a close contact.
The school will remain open for in-class instruction, except for those who have been advised by public health to self-isolate.
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
This story is a collaboration between the Investigative Journalism Foundation and CBC Saskatchewan.
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