Coronavirus variant puts N.L. back in lockdown; in-person voting in provincial election suspended
All but essential businesses closed, returning province to restrictions not seen since May.
Newfoundland and Labrador is under lockdown, and Saturday's provincial election will continue with only mail-in voting, officials said Friday, as the province battles the B117 variant of the coronavirus.
In an emergency briefing Friday evening — the second time officials addressed the province in one day — Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the chief medical officer of health, said tests had confirmed the widespread presence of B117 for the first time.
The "variant of concern" is responsible for this week's mass outbreak in the capital.
Confirmation of the variant's arrival prompted lockdown measures across the province Friday and has suspended in-person voting in the election, delaying the ballot count by at least two weeks.
B117 was first discovered in the United Kingdom. It's believed to be more contagious than the original coronavirus strain.
