Following four straight days of no new cases of COVID-19, New Brunswick’s premier and chief medical officer of health will provide an update on the province’s response to the novel coronavirus Thursday.

As of Wednesday, the province has 118 confirmed cases of the virus, but just 14 are considered active.

Five people remain in hospital and one is in an intensive care unit.

The lack of new cases over the last week has had premier Blaine Higgs openly talking about allowing some businesses to reopen and discussions of how to do just that are taking place with the all-party cabinet committee on COVID-19.

“I’m very encouraged by what has happened and the low count, which is a good indication that we should be seriously considering movement on several fronts, but to what degree is to be determined,” Higgs said Wednesday.

“We are having those discussions tonight and today and tomorrow because we think the time has come to do something and we recognize the diligence that citizens have had.”

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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