New Brunswick is moving into Level 3, the most restrictive level of the province's COVID-19 winter plan, as of Friday, January 14th at 11:59pm. The lockdown will remain in place until Jan. 30 at 11:59pm. Schools will only return to in-class learning on January 31st. The move to level 3 was triggered by the province hitting triple digit numbers in terms of hospitalizations for the virus.

Level 3 has been modified to allow for some non-essential businesses to remain open. Under lockdown, the following measures will be in effect:

• People must stay within their single-household bubble. A single-household bubble includes the people you live with. Where required, this can be extended to include: caregivers; a family member who needs support from someone within the household; or one other person who needs support (for example, someone who lives alone, or another family member).

• A single-household bubble may extend care to children from another household for the purposes of informal daycare or online education support. This must be the same household bubble for as long as Level 3 is in effect.

• Public gatherings are not permitted, and gyms, entertainment centres, spas and salons are not allowed to operate.

• Restaurants may provide drive-thru, takeout and delivery only.

• Retail businesses may continue to remain open at 50 per cent capacity and with physical distancing measures in place. 

• People are encouraged to use contactless curbside pickup and/or designate one person from the household to go shopping, if feasible, to reduce contacts.

• Faith venues may provide outdoor, virtual or in-car religious services only.

• Organized team sports are prohibited from games, competition and practice with people outside of a household bubble. 

• Individual sports that can be conducted outdoors, such as skiing, skating and snowmobiling, are permitted as long as distancing is maintained from those outside of a household bubble. Buildings that support outdoor sports, such as ski lodges and warm-up shelters, must maintain 50 per cent capacity, distancing and masking. Food and drinks cannot be served. The government will be working with sports organizations to develop a plan to resume some form of play or practice for all ages when New Brunswick returns to Level 2.

• Masks must still be worn at all times in indoor public spaces and in outdoor public spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Along with a spike in hospitalizations, New Brunswick is currently recording over 1000 new cases of COVID-19 a day. Projections show the province reaching the peak of the Omicron-driven fifth wave in a few weeks' time--likely by the end of January or beginning of February. At this time, hospitalizations will likely reach approximately 220 COVID-19 patients at one time with the province forecasted to record around 5,500 new cases a day. 

“I ask all New Brunswickers to do their part over the next two weeks, including booking their booster dose if it has been more than five months since their second dose – especially if they are 50 or older, since only 53 per cent of people in this age group have gotten a booster dose and they are at a higher risk of hospitalization,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “In addition, children currently make up the largest segment of our unvaccinated and under-vaccinated population. If you have not already done so, please book an appointment to get your children vaccinated, especially those aged five to 11, before in-person learning resumes.”

Dr. John Dornan, CEO of Horizon Health, insists a lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19 is necessary not only in terms of the number of hospitalizations but because healthcare workers are overworked and under enormous stress navigating the fifth wave of the pandemic, and hundreds of them are off work after having contracted the virus.