The Ministry of Health advises against traveling between zones during this long weekend on Family Day and during the March recess in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism is encouraging New Brunswickers to keep receipts for trips within the province until the end of March as part of a discount program for travel incentives.

Tourism Secretary Tammy Scott-Wallace said it was not mixed news.

“We didn’t encourage people to leave their zone,” she said via email.

“Some zones are large and there is a lot to explore. For example, someone in Minto could go to Fredericton.”

During Monday’s COVID-19 briefing, Dr. Jennifer Russell, Chief Medical Officer for Health, said this is the time of year when people tend to seek a warmer climate or just get away from home for a few days.

“This year things have to be different,” she said. “Traveling outside of Canada is definitely not recommended and we would currently advise against traveling to other provinces. We also want New Brunswick to be less active.

“By limiting travel within the province, we are reducing the chances of the virus spreading and new outbreaks occurring.”

At this point our message is not to travel.– Jennifer Russell, Chief Medical Officer for Health

Five new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Friday – one in the Saint John area, zone 2, three in the Edmundston area, zone 4, and one in the Bathurst area, zone 6. There are currently 156 active cases across the province .

New Brunswick also has four confirmed cases of the highly communicable variant, first reported in the UK – one in the Moncton region, Zone 1, two in the Saint John region and one in the Miramichi region, Zone 7.

Six people are in the hospital, two of them in intensive care.

The five new COVID-19 cases announced on Friday and ten other recoveries have put the total number of active cases in the province at 156. (CBC)

Russell was asked Monday if she would still advise people not to necessarily travel between zones after the March break, as every zone is now in the zone orange COVID-19 alert levelwith the exception of Edmundston, Zone 4, which is still more restrictive Red level.

“At this point our message is not to travel,” she replied.

“The virus moves with people. So when people move, the virus moves. We want you to stay in your zone.”

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said the province has seen situations where someone with COVID-19 has traveled from one zone to another and the virus has been transmitted to a third.

“This has happened more than once and we know that is the risk,” she said.

“So we’re just asking, and we’re really guessing that travel between zones, you know, just doesn’t happen, if at all possible.”

Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer for health, said travel is not encouraged as officials want to minimize the chance of the virus spreading. (Government of New Brunswick)

The Tourism Secretary said she agreed and encouraged New Brunswickers to use the attractions in their own zone.

“This pandemic has brought many challenges, but has not affected our ability to safely support our tourism industry while enjoying the many wonders of our province,” said Scott-Wallace, referring to the provincial parks as an example.

If people are “enjoying tourist gems, lodging, and food and beverage outlets” in their own zone, they should adhere to public health guidelines, she added.

Discover the newly offered NB program

In October, the government announced that it would re-offer the Explore NB Travel Incentive program launched in July to offset the effects of the pandemic.

Residents could apply for a 20 percent discount on spending up to $ 1,000 on trips within the province that include an overnight stay between July 15 and September 30.

More than $ 17 million was spent in just two and a half months, Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy said during the Talk of the throne.

The Hopewell Rocks, a provincial park, is one of the main attractions of the province and people who live in this zone can visit for free. (Shane Magee / CBC)

The details of the renewed program are still being worked out. Scott-Wallace encourages employees to check the department website regularly for updates.

“If you’ve been traveling in New Brunswick, which has been planning to stay overnight since October 2020, keep these receipts. If you plan to travel to our province by the end of March 2021, keep these receipts as well,” a message from said Scott-Wallace said on the website.

In a statement emailed, she said, “COVID-19 is very fluid and the virus was in a very different state when we announced the renewal last October.

“At that time, people could and could have traveled between zones, which would qualify them to apply if the trip included an overnight stay.”

So far, $ 1.2 million has been reimbursed

The department is still processing the summer program applications, which had to be submitted by October 30th.

It has received 25,257 applications and processed 14,508 at the end of February 11, said spokeswoman Erika Jutras.

Of those, 11,565 have been approved and more than 10,000 applicants have received their rebates, she said.

More than $ 1.2 million has been reimbursed to date.

The outstanding receivables could have an additional value of nearly $ 2.3 million.

“We have processed 57.4 percent of the applications and are very happy with the progress,” said Jutras via email.

No target for completion

There are currently 1,819 applications under review after asking applicants to submit correct receipts, she said.

“Given the feedback on the program, the team is working in great detail with applicants who have struggled to provide the correct evidence to correct the situation. It takes time and therefore it is difficult to predict graduation rates.”

In the past week, the department processed more than 2,700 applications and sent around 1,000 emails regarding incorrect or incomplete documentation, Jutras said.

“The team is working to process applications and give discounts as quickly as possible.”