'We are still in a pandemic': Top doctor asks Nova Scotians to be careful this Easter

As Nova Scotians get ready for the Easter long weekend, the province's top doctor says the pandemic is not over. 

Dr. Robert Strang says Nova Scotia is seeing more COVID-19 activity than it ever has, and people should be careful about how they gather for the holiday. 

"This is not the Easter to have a family of 30 to 40 people to get together yet, once again we still need to keep our gatherings small," Strang said. "And as we're getting together, we need to follow other measures."

Strang says if people are sick with cold- or flu-like symptoms they shouldn't participate. He also says to consider testing as a way to protect others. 

The comments from the chief medical officer come as the province sees soaring COVID-19 case numbers. Last week's case data report showed an average of 1,000 PCR positives each day, and Strang says numbers will continue to be high moving forward. 

"Probably through April we'll see it peak and start to level off and come down through May, that's what I would expect to see, but that certainly means we'll have a significant amount of virus transmitting in our communities through April and into May."

The top doctor also says the hospital system continues to be under pressure, and even if hospitalizations level off, there are still challenges with healthcare workers out sick or isolating.

Strang also noting that wearing a mask in indoor public spaces is still strongly recommended. 

"Lots of people are acting like 'I'm done, the pandemic's finished' and no, that's wrong response. We need everybody to realize we're still in a serious situation, still in a pandemic. Everything we've been doing for the past two years remains very important."