FOG BLOG NB COVID 19 UPDATE LOG: NO REGION TO GO BELOW ORANGE , 16 NEW, 0 IN THE SAINT JOHN ZONE:

WITH GREAT WORRY ABOUT THE U.K. AND SOUTH AFRICAN VARIANT OF THE VIRUS , THE RISK OF IT SHOWING UP HERE, JENNIFER RUSSELL IS NOT ALLOWING ANY ORANGE PHASE ZONE TO GO TO ANY LESS RESTRICTIVE PHASE.....THE VARIANT IS MORE TRANSMISSABLE AND THE VACCINE MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE WITH THIS VARIANT. THERE ARE 16 NEW CASES IN NB AND NO NEW CASES IN SAINT JOHN.......Dr. Russell warns of dangerous 'third wave,' announces 16 new cases, one death and orange-phase changes.......

• 'Steady 10' bubble now allowed in orange phase

• Changes to isolation rules for households

• One new death at Edmundston care home

• 16 new cases

• 313 active cases

• Russell warns of 'dangerous third wave'

• No zones will move to yellow for foreseeable future

Public Health is bracing for a dangerous, variant-driven third wave of the pandemic in New Brunswick and is making changes to the province's colour-coded recovery levels because of it. Speaking at live-streamed COVID-19 update on Friday — the one-year anniversary of the province's first pandemic news conference — Dr. Jennifer Russell said that because of the variant threat, no region will move past the orange level for "many weeks." "The third wave is going to be upon us soon, and it is going to be much worse than the first and second wave combined," Russell said. "The variants are going to come to New Brunswick. They'll arrive without us knowing … and they will spread quickly, they will outrun our ability to contact trace."

• Even with testing in high gear, N.B. has done fewer tests than most provinces

• Riverview high school reopens to students 8 days after confirmed case

To help "manage the risk," she said, the yellow zone will be reassessed and no zone in the province will be allowed to progress to anything less restrictive than a newly modified orange phase for at least several weeks. Currently, the Fredericton, Campbellton, Bathurst, Miramichi and Saint John regions are in orange, with the Moncton region in the more restrictive red phase and the Edmundston region in the most restrictive full lockdown phase. Under the changes to the orange phase, announced Friday and taking effect at midnight:

• Your household bubble can be expanded to include a maximum of "steady 10" contacts from outside your household. This includes up to 10 people who do not live in your home, with whom you may socialize, including going to restaurants.

• You can drive with members of your household or steady 10, and masks are not required.

• Outdoor gatherings with physical distancing of 50 people or fewer are permitted.

Russell cautioned that, despite these measures, the risk will still be high. "This is not going to stop the transmission," she said. "We're hoping to slow it down."