Listen in for the following stories on Friday’s Tantramar Report:

Call for investigation at the Drew

CHMA hears from Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton who is calling for a formal, independent investigation into the outbreak of COVID-19 at the Drew Nursing home in Sackville. Mitton says she wants to know if the province’s response to the outbreak was adequate. In respond, the Drew Nursing Home chair has asked for a pause into scrutinizing the process, and Health minister Dorothy Shephard has claimed that all questions have been answered. Listen to Tantramar Report for this interview, or read more on this story here.

Art Across the Marsh cancellation shows inconsistent circuit breaker rules

Art Across the Marsh is an annual studio tour involving 19 different artists across the Tantramar Region. The event was scheduled to go ahead this weekend, following circuit breaker protocols, but after a call from public health, the studio tour is cancelled for a second year in a row. CHMA spoke with artist and organizer Robert Lyon on Wednesday to find out what happened, why he’s concerned about consistency in circuit breaker rules, and the impact on the area’s working artists. Listen to Tantramar Report for this interview, or read more on this story here.

COVID-19 Update

The COVID-19 update for Oct. 14. Photo courtesy of the New Brunswick government.

There was more bad news in yesterday’s COVID-19 numbers. Two more people died with COVID-19 in the province, and another 133 people have tested positive with the disease. 39 of those are in Zone 1. There are now 1,103 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 382 of those are in Zone 1. A total of 63 people are in hospital, and 19 of those are in an ICU.

Rapid testing kits now available to people with no symptoms

Starting on Saturday, people in circuit breaker areas who do not have COVID-19 symptoms will be able to pick up a free rapid test kit which they can administer at home.

There are just three locations province-wide where kits can be picked up. In Moncton, the Magic Mountain parking lot, located just off Mountain Road, is the designated distribution spot on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are also distribution points in Perth-Andover and Grand Falls.

The province says the program is for people who do not have symptoms and have not been identified by public health as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case.

The tests can be used with anyone two years of age and older, but people 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult to acquire a testing kit. Each testing kit has five tests to be used over a 10-day period.

A negative result on a rapid test indicates that there’s not a significant presence of the coronavirus in that person at that time.

Rapid antigen tests work differently than lab-based PCR tests. Rapid tests identify bits of proteins on the virus, and are accurate between 50 and 95 per cent of the time, depending on how they are administered, and other factors. The results are considered short term, as the test will not detect trace amounts of the virus.

PCR tests work by identifying the genetic presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and accurate about 98 per cent of the time. But, results are slower with a PCR test, and so rapid antigen tests have become a popular tool, especially for people concerned about a possible exposure, but with no symptoms and no contact from Public Health.

In the announcement on Thursday, Dr. Jennifer Russell reminded people that if they come up with a positive result from a rapid antigen test, they should immediately contact Public Health to book a PCR lab test for confirmation. She also said it’s important to remember that rapid antigen results really only reflect “a person’s status for a moment in time.”

The province says that although the program is starting in the circuit breaker areas, it will be expanded across New Brunswick.

Bordertown festival calling for partners

A scaled down version of the Bordertown Festival is slated for Nov. 17 – 20 this year, and the call is out for partners interested in hosting events during the festival. Bordertown is now accepting applications for presentation partners, with subsidies available for non-profits, or collaborations involving non-profits. Subsidies up to 60 per cent of eligible costs, up to $2,000, are available. Applications are due Oct. 22.

Holiday Passport is back and looking for participating businesses

The town of Sackville is going full throttle on its passport to local businesses program, with one currently running, and another slated for the holiday season. The Holiday Passport for businesses is coming in mid-November, and the town is currently looking for businesses interested in joining the loyalty reward program. People using the passport will need to get 15 stamps from participating businesses to get a free t-shirt and be entered into a draw for a $1,000 local shopping spree. The deadline to apply is Oct. 17.

Ramen Film Festival coming next week

Sackville normally punches above its weight in the movies department, thanks to the enduring presence of the Vogue Cinema and the Sackville Film Society. But next week, the film offerings are expanding: From Tuesday to Thursday, the Ramen Film Festivel will feature three films centred on—you guessed it—ramen, the Japanese noodle dish.

The Ramen Film festival is put on by the Japanese Foodways class at Mount Allison, taught by Dr. Tim Reiffenstein. Reiffenstein will join CHMA on Monday’s Tantramar Report to talk ramen and films.