Nova Scotia announces mandatory quarantine for public sector staff and students returning from outside Canada
Brian Johnston, QC and Jennifer Thompson
In an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, Premier Stephen McNeil and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Strang have announced that all public sector employees who have travelled outside Canada must self-isolate for 14 days following their return to Canada before they are allowed to come back to the workplace. These employees will be paid during the quarantine period.
The requirement to self-isolate also applies to students returning from travel outside Canada, who must also self-isolate for 14 days before returning to school or daycare. This applies regardless of whether their parents or caregivers are public sector employees. Schools will otherwise be re-opening as usual after March break for those students who have not been outside Canada. There will be measures in place to limit large gatherings, with school concerts and assemblies prohibited.
The province is also recommending that large gatherings of more than 150 people not occur, although this is not mandatory at this stage.
The premier has encouraged private sector employers to take the same steps, namely requiring all employees returning from travel outside Canada to self-isolate for 14 days and minimizing large gatherings. The premier also asked that private sector employers support their employees in the same way that the province is supporting public sector employees, suggesting that they should consider continuing to pay them through the period of self-isolation.
As of March 13, 2020 there are no cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. However, Dr. Strang emphasized that “If we wait until it’s here, it’s too late”, calling on the public to take the steps required to protect the wider community. The government has indicated that it will revisit the measures as necessary.
This article is provided for general information only. If you have any questions about the above, please contact a member of our Labour and Employment Group.
Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership.
Archive
Mark Tector and Killian McParland ‘Tis again the season for the company holiday party. And while the party planners are starting to break out the eggnog, there are some lessons learned from seasons past to…
Read MoreMark Tector and Richard Jordan The Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “Act”) provides that “contractors” and “constructors” have similar, but not identical, responsibilities, with a “Constructor” having greater authority and more responsibility for the health and…
Read MoreJulia Parent and Graham Haynes On October 29, 2018, the federal government tabled national pay equity legislation as part of its second budget implementation bill, Bill C-86. This legislation is targeted at reducing the portion of the…
Read MoreRob Aske You likely heard rumblings over the spring and summer, but now it’s here. Canada’s federal privacy law known by the acronym PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) adds privacy breach reporting…
Read MoreGuy-Etienne Richard The Nova Scotia government introduced Bill 29 on September 14, 2018 to increase pregnancy and parental leave to reflect the recent changes by the federal government to Employment Insurance (“EI”). Those EI changes…
Read MoreWe are pleased to present the third issue of Discovery: Atlantic Education and the Law, our very own legal publication targeted to educational institutions in Atlantic Canada. A new school year has begun and fall…
Read MoreKevin Landry News articles have reported Canadians being labelled as “inadmissible” or being denied entry at the United States’ border because of ties to the cannabis industry. Being labeled inadmissible by border authorities is the…
Read MoreJonathan Coady and Justin Milne On June 25, 2018, the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island (the “Supreme Court”) released its much anticipated decision in Mi’kmaq of P.E.I. v. Province of P.E.I.2 This is the first…
Read MoreKevin Landry Health Canada released the Cannabis Act Regulations (the “Regulations”) at a news conference on June 27, 2018. The Regulations will be published in final form in the July 11, 2018 version of in…
Read MoreAndrew Burke, David Randell and Divya Subramanian There is never a dull moment when it comes to cryptocurrency: whether it is the hacking of a South Korean crypto exchange, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission…
Read More