TORONTO -- Newfoundland and Labrador reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the highest single-day increase for the province since April of 2020.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, chief medical health officer for the province, announced in a press conference that all of the cases were in the Eastern Health Region.
鈥淲e have five cases under the age of 20, four cases between the ages of 40 and 49, one case between the ages of 50 and 59, and one case over the age of 70,鈥� she said.
She said all of the individuals involved are self-isolating, and that contact tracing is underway. However, she added that there is a 鈥渟ignificant volume鈥� of people who may have come into contact with some of the new cases.
鈥淪everal of these individuals attended Mount Pearl Senior High, and the school has been notified, and public health officials are providing guidance regarding testing and self-isolation,鈥� Fitzgerald said.
鈥淲e have a significant number of contacts associated with these cases through the school and various sports teams. Public health will be making contact with the teams impacted as well as other close contacts to provide guidance.鈥�
She added that parents of students who attend this school would be receiving written guidance for what to do.
Due to community spread in the St. John鈥檚 metro area, she also announced new restrictions to take effect immediately, including suspension of group sports, gatherings such as choirs, dance and music classes, and reducing visitation for long-term care homes to two designated visitors.
This update brings the active case count for the province to 27 cases. Since the start of the pandemic, the province has had 427 cases in total, with four deaths.
