The province has asked the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to lift the injunction on illegal gatherings now that COVID-19 infections are easing and the province has moved into Phase 2 of its reopening plan.
A motion filed this week seeks to withdraw the injunction obtained by the province on May 14. A hearing date for the motion has been set for Tuesday, June 22.
Restrictions under public health orders – including social distancing, wearing masks, and indoor and outdoor gathering limits – remain in place.
“The motion to lift the order doesn’t mean we should let down our guard. We are still in a state of emergency and we must continue to respect the public health measures,” said Premier Iain Rankin. “Thanks to the hard work of Nova Scotians, we are now in a much better place with the virus. Our daily case numbers are coming down, vaccination rates continue to rise and the number of Nova Scotians in hospital and the ICU are decreasing.”
Quick Facts:
— the province obtained an injunction on May 14 prohibiting any gathering that would contravene the province’s public health directives
— the injunction also prohibited Freedom Nova Scotia or others organizing illegal gatherings from continuing to promote the rallies on social media and authorized police to ensure compliance with the Health Protection Act
— the court accepted that the injunction was necessary to prevent and reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19
— during the third wave, starting April 1, there have been 4,042 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths
Additional Resources:
The motion to withdraw the injunction order can be viewed at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/docs/court-of-nova-scotia-injunction-notice-of-motion.pdf
The injunction order can be viewed at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/docs/court-of-nova-scotia-injunction-order-14-may-2021.pdf
Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information on COVID-19 at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
Source: Release #notw