At 11:59 pm on Friday, January 14th, New Brunswick will enter Level 3 of the Winter Action Plan. This will last until Sunday, January 30th at 11:59 pm. This move has not been taken lightly, but is necessary to manage the load being put on our health care system with the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant. To be clear, our healthcare system is at a crisis stage.
Level 3 restrictions include the following:
-Single-household bubble.
-No public gatherings (formal or informal) are permitted.
-Restaurants will be limited to drive-thru, takeout and delivery only.
-Retail businesses will remain open under the same restrictions as Level 2. Use of curbside pickup or delivery services are encouraged where possible.
-Gym, spas, salons, and entertainment centres (movie theatres, casinos, etc.) are closed.
-Faith venues can hold outdoor, virtual or in-car services only.
-Organized sports are not permitted.
-Public K-12 schools will continue learning online for the duration of Level 3. Schools will return to in-person learning on January 31st.
These measures will no doubt have significant impacts on our small businesses. Cabinet has therefore approved OpportunitiesNB to launch Phase 3 of the Small Business Recovery Grant. Eligible businesses will be able to apply for a non-repayable grant of up to $10,000. The approval process will be expedited to help businesses receive immediate relief. The expected turnaround is 3-4 days.