Your weekly COVID-19 update

Every Tuesday, the Maclean's daily newsletter will catch you up on what you need to know about Canada's fight against the coronavirus. This week, Patricia Treble focuses on one story worth watching, and you can get a sneak peek here. You'll also get the same mix of Maclean's stories you expect every day if you scroll down below.

On Saturday, New Brunswick began its own hotel quarantine system. All non-essential travellers, anyone moving to the province and business people who aren’t rotational workers or truckers will have to isolate in a mandated hotel for at least the first seven days after arriving in the province. The rule applies even for those who have been fully vaccinated; only students travelling to New Brunswick from elsewhere in Atlantic Canada are exempt. Because the number of hotel rooms is limited, travellers have to get prior authorization from the province before even booking their isolation stay. The isolation, which costs around $200 a night and includes a COVID-19 test, is aimed at reducing the spread of the disease. In the past week, New Brunswick has reported 61 cases, down from the weekly tally of 98 reported during an outbreak at the end of last month.

New Brunswick’s new restrictions came into effect as neighbouring Nova Scotia is dealing with a growing outbreak. On Monday, it again broke its daily record, reporting 66 cases. In response, the government added even more restrictions, including closing all schools in the Halifax area for the next two weeks. As well, all social events in areas outside Halifax, including wedding receptions and funeral visitations, are cancelled.

In the past week, the number of new cases in Ontario and Quebec has effectively plateaued, albeit at high levels. Ontario averaged 286 cases per million population in each of the past seven days while Quebec averaged 162 per million population. That flattening in Central Canada has caused the national rate to bend a bit, but case levels are still rising in Western Canada, especially in Alberta and Manitoba. On Monday, Alberta reported its highest rate, 344.2, since before Christmas, while Manitoba’s rate of 128.8 marks three weeks of steady increases. On Monday, Manitoba announced that new restrictions , including limits on gatherings, would take effect on Wednesday.

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