As COVID restrictions relax, life is beginning to return to normal at Liverpool’s Astor Theatre.
General Manager Jean Robinson-Dexter says the arts venue was hit hard throughout the pandemic.
“Our revenues over the last fiscal year and part of the year before, way down, negligible in fact because we haven’t either had rentals or concerts or shows,” said Robinson-Dexter.
She says financial support from all levels of government kept the theatre afloat during the pandemic.
Some changes are coming as the venue ramps up their offerings.
Robinson-Dexter says the Astor is adjusting their box office schedule to open from 11:00am to 4:00pm Wednesday through Saturday, to include the weekend.
“By making that bit of a shift, folks that aren’t able to join us during a weekday can come downtown and do a little shopping, have a coffee and come to the gallery,” Robinson-Dexter.
Works by Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy will be on display in March after Syliboy and his band the Thundermakers with special guest Morgan Toney perform in the theatre Saturday.
In addition to art and live music the Astor is once again showing movies.
Audiences can watch the Nova Scotian production “Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor” Thursday and Friday.
Robinson-Dexter understands some patrons may feel uneasy about mask requirements being lifted on March 21 but says people are still welcome to wear masks in the Astor.
“They are not obliged, but if folks are more comfortable doing that, we’re very happy for them to do that,” Robinson-Dexter.
Dr. Robert Strang. Photo Communications Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia will not be easing COVID restrictions Wednesday as they had hoped.
At an update last week, Premier Tim Houston and Dr. Robert Strang said the province could move into Phase 5 of the reopening plan, lifting requirements for masks, social distancing and reduced gathering limits if the number of Nova Scotians who are double vaccinated reached 75 percent and if the epidemiology determined it was safe to do so.
“The reason we’re delaying moving from Phase 4 to Phase 5 is not because of our vaccination. We’ve always said it’s vaccination plus epidemiology. We’ve had a rapidly evolving situation in the Maritime Provinces in the last few days, including Nova Scotia,” said Strang. “There’s too much risk for us to open up gathering limits when we don’t have the proof of vaccination to restrict those gatherings to only people who are vaccinated.”
Strang says all current COVID protocols will remain in place as the province aims to move to Phase 5 October 4.
That is the day Nova Scotia will require proof of vaccination to be shown to access any discretionary businesses, shops or services such as going to restaurants, gyms or movies.
Proof will not need to be provided at essential services like the grocery store, faith services and doctors offices.
A link to the complete list can be found on our website.
Among those still required to wear masks will be school staff and students.
Despite Nova Scotia having some of the highest vaccination rates in the world, a large cohort of the population still cannot be immunized, and those are children under 12.
Dr Strang said it could be early next year before a vaccine is ready for that group.
“Everything that I keep hearing is that it’s, through the fall before we get the vaccine companies with enough of their clinical trial data, to bring that in front of Health Canada, who is the regulator in this country,” said Strang. “So in all likelihood, to get through all of those regulatory steps and get final approval, get vaccine out and et cetera and develop a program, it’s likely that’s it’s going to be at earliest in early 2022 before we start immunizing people under 12. If it’s sooner than that, that would be great.”
Strang says at the outset of the pandemic the priority was to develop a vaccine for the most at-risk group of the population, which were seniors.
He says clinical trials weren’t started for children under 12 until much later, which is why there is a delay in bringing a vaccine for that cohort.
The news comes as Nova Scotia is reporting it’s highest single-day case count in months with a cluster of 61 cases in the Northern Zone accounting for the bulk of the 66 cases announced.
There are currently 173 active COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia.
Dr. Strang says he understands people have different perspectives on vaccination and that choice is important as he again, pleaded with those who are not yet vaccinated to step forward and get their shot.
“But personal choice cannot be all that you think about when it comes to COVID vaccines. I’d ask that you think about others and that you focus on the We, not the Me. The choice to be vaccinated or not has implications for those around you,” said Strang. “We are experiencing a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Because of the risk of further spread, we are having to slow down our reopening. That impacts, directly, people, families, the healthcare system and our economy.”
Strang says we trust basic grounded science for the vast majority of things we do in our daily lives and the vaccine should be no different.
Dr. Robert Strang shares latest vaccinate numbers. Photo Nova Scotia Government
Over 75 percent of Nova Scotians have either received their first dose of COVID vaccine or have an appointment booked.
Nova Scotia now leads the country in the number of people who have received a first dose.
The province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang says this is a milestone worth celebrating but we can’t stop yet.
“Seventy-five percent of the entire population with at least one dose is our minimum. While we’ve shifted focus to second doses, we still want as many people as possible to get their first dose and then their second. The more people who are fully vaccinated, the better protected we all are from COVID and its variants, especially the Delta variant,” said Strang.
Another 8,000 members of the military will be added to the total to push the province past the 75 percent mark.
At Monday’s COVID briefing Dr. Strang said the province could begin lifting mask and social distancing restrictions before the end of summer. At Wednesday’s briefing he said that action is dependent on Nova Scotian’s continued willingness to do what needs to be done to beat back COVID.
“We need every eligible person to get both doses of vaccine to help protect us all,” said Strang. “The sooner we do that, the sooner we can lift more restrictions and public health measures.”
Strang acknowledged there are many places who are moving ahead with plans to lift restrictions despite their populations not being fully vaccinated.
He said plans to reopen in the United Kingdom and the United States come with risks of more viral spread, especially the highly contagious Delta variant.
“There is a clear link now between lower COVID vaccination rates and more COVID deaths by state. As Mississippi state health officer says, it is the unvaccinated people who are being diagnosed, who are going to hospital and who are dying. And that’s not a risk we are prepared to take in Nova Scotia,” said Strang. “Our people, our healthcare system and our economy have been through enough so we’ll continue our cautious approach to reopening while we increase our vaccine coverage.”
While Nova Scotia leads in first-dose vaccinations, the province sits in the middle of the pack getting second doses into arms.
Strang reiterated his plea for all Nova Scotians who are able, to get both doses of the vaccine as soon as they can.
Nova Scotia is opening to the rest of Canada beginning Wednesday as the province enters phase three of its reopening plan.
For people coming from the Atlantic provinces that means no more self-isolation requirements.
Those arriving from elsewhere in Canada will need to complete a Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form and electronically upload their proof of vaccination.
The province is throwing open the border as public health continues to report new daily cases in the single digits.
Nova Scotia has 51 active cases of COVID-19, two of those are currently in hospital.
A major milestone in vaccinations was reached Tuesday as the province marks 900,000 doses injected into arms.
(L-R) Rennette Amirault-Laing, IWK Health, Halifax Convention Centre Vaccine Clinic Lead and Captain Danielle Clement, Site Lead, Canadian Armed Forces, Kathleen King, Event Coordinator, Halifax Convention Centre and Sarah Parisio, Site Manager, Canadian Red Cross. Photo Nova Scotia Government
Tuesday saw a daily record of 31,000 shots administered and Nova Scotians are booked to receive 135,000 shots over the coming week.
Dr. Robert Strang says the vaccination rates are some of the highest in the country with 73 percent of the population having received at least one dose of vaccine.
But he is concerned young people in their twenties seem to be resisting getting their shots.
“In that age group many people think they’re invincible, they’re young, they’re not going to get seriously ill. Well even if you’re not worried about yourself, we’re asking you to do, like everything else through COVID, do it for other people around you. Do it for the rest of Nova Scotia,” said Strang. “And quite frankly, for young people, if they want to continue to have restaurants open, if they want to travel, well the way they get to do that is by making sure they’re contributing to the highest possible coverage rate.”
Strang says the province is on track to meet a target of two doses in 75 percent of Nova Scotians by the end of August.
Moving to Phase three of the reopening plan allows a household to host an additional 10 guests inside and 25 outside.
Restaurants and bars can now serve until midnight and close by 1:00am.
Sports, recreation, arts and music events will all see increases in capacity.
A complete list of the changes are available on the government Nova Scotia coronavirus website.
Dr. Strang also took a moment to recognize students, teachers and schools for the efforts they made during a difficult year.
“[Wednesday] is the last official day of school and I just want to personally thank, it’s been a difficult year for school but we’ve done well in Nova Scotia compared to many other places. We’ve had most of the school year in school. So I just want to personally thank students, staff, teachers for all they’ve done to get through the school year by keeping each other safe,” said Strang. “Have a good summer and we’ll come back next year with a much more normal school year. Thank you.”
Liverpool Regional High School. Photo Ed Halverson
A local group is working to recognize Liverpool Regional High School graduates.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, large gatherings are prohibited across Nova Scotia, including graduation ceremonies.
Deborah Raddall is one of a group of volunteers who are working to find a way to allow graduates to gather together without breaking the public health orders.
“We thought, we have to do this so that, in the end we can say we did whatever we could to try and give our kids something,” said Raddall.
Schools have adjusted to allow students to receive their diplomas and awards at individually scheduled times.
The students can be accompanied by up to four guests for the ten-minute ceremony.
Raddall and her group are proposing to follow in the steps of last year’s graduating class and hold a drive-by graduation celebration.
She says using Queens Place Emera Centre again would allow the students to set up six feet apart while the community drives by and shows their support.
Raddall says a letter submitted to public health through the department’s website outlining their plan was met with a form-letter type rejection.
But Friday morning, Raddall awoke to an e-mail from Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang.
Dr Robert Strang discusses what safe graduation celebrations could look like in the second phase of COVID reopening. Photo Nova Scotia Government
In it, he says under the current restrictions the gathering is not permitted.
But once the province moves into Phase II of the COVID reopening plan, which could be as soon as Wednesday June 16, the ceremony can go ahead.
In fact during Friday’s COVID briefing Dr. Strang pointed to the LRHS drive-by model as one other schools should consider.
“Communities will need to be creative and innovative again in celebrating their graduates. One example I’ve heard is a drive-past celebration. Graduates can be sitting outside, properly distanced, while family and community members in their vehicles drive-by to honour the graduate’s accomplishments. It’s a great idea and I’m sure the people who thought of it would be happy if you stole their idea,” said Strang.
Raddall is excited the drive-by idea has received the blessing of Nova Scotia’s top doctor.
She’s optimistic provincial officials will announce phase II of the recovery will begin Wednesday and their group can go ahead with their plans but regardless, they’re determined to provide some ceremony for the LRHS class of 2021.
“Really where we’re at is, we just have to move on and say, ok, if that doesn’t work, let’s go to plan B,” said Raddall. “There’s 26 letters in the alphabet and we’re not the give-y up kind of people.”
