MLA Megan Mitton says people calling phone lines are sometimes being given incorrect information
The government of New Brunswick briefly added to the confusion over border rules and requirements in the Tantramar area this week, after publishing an erroneous explainer called “Testing and Isolation Requirements after Travel” on Tuesday.
The PDF, dated January 26, indicated that daily commuters across the Aulac border would be required to do something called “work isolation,” the definition of which has been removed from the government’s website.
There is now another version of the PDF posted on the government’s site, which clarifies that people commuting daily for work are exempt from isolation requirements.
[Scroll to the bottom of this story for a breakdown of what the mandatory order says about some common types of border crossers in the Tantramar area.]
CHMA called up Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton to get the scoop on the erroneous information being distributed by the government, and to ask about issues in testing access at Sacvkille’s new testing site.
Erica Butler started off asking her about Tuesday’s erroneous PDF explainer:
Mitton is not just concerned about the erroneous PDF, but also reports of incorrect or contradictory information being shared via the government COVID information line.
“When people are calling the phone lines, sometimes they’re being given incorrect information,” says Mitton. “So this is hard for people living in New Brunswick or people who have to cross the border. I’m sure it’s hard for the staff, too, because they don’t seem to have been brought up to date on what the new rules are.”
The recent border changes were announced last Friday and issued in a revised mandatory order on Saturday. Most of those changes were welcomed by Mitton, as they restored exemptions for people seeking medical care across the Nova Scotia border. But Mitton’s concern now is how the rules are being communicated:
“The level of issues with communications is really concerning,” says Mitton. “People are trying to do the right thing, and they just don’t even know what the rules are.”
SUMMARY OF COMMON BORDER TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Here’s a breakdown of what the mandatory order (as of changes made Saturday, January 23, 2021) says about some common types of border crossers in the Tantramar area.
Work and school commuters:
New Brunswick residents who commute regularly across the border (and Nova Scotia residents who community regularly into New Brunswick) are exempt from self-isolation if they are tested every week for COVID-19. As always, the exempt travel is limited to work purposes, and they are not allowed to run errands or make other stops on the way to and from work.
People seeking medical care or emergency veterinary care:
New Brunswick residents who need to cross the border for medical care or emergency veterinary care are exempt from self-isolation, and at the Nova Scotia and PEI borders, they are also exempt from work isolation and weekly testing. (At Maine and Quebec borders, those conditions apply.)
This exemption also applies to Nova Scotians coming into New Brunswick for similar reasons.
People with children in care or shared custody:
Families who have children in care or shared custody across the border are exempt from self-isolation. They are also exempt from weekly testing, as long as they haven’t travelled outside the Atlantic provinces in the past 14 days. (At Maine and Quebec borders, weekly testing would apply.)
Truckers and other commercial transportation operators:
Truckers are exempt from self-isolation requirements for travel in the course of their work, and if they are New Brunswick residents, are required to have “periodic” testing.
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