ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are reporting 10 new cases of COVID-19 today and imposing new restrictions in the province's southwest.

The province has 81 active reported cases and one person in hospital with the disease.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said today there are three cases involving the B.1.1.7 variant linked to a school in the Codroy Valley, N.L., area, in the province's southwest.

Fitzgerald says communities from South Branch, N.L., to Port aux Basques, N.L., will move to alert level 4 at midnight tonight, under which gyms and in-person dining is prohibited and gatherings are limited.

She says there has been no evidence of widespread community transmission in the area but the new health order will allow officials to conduct mass testing. Fitzgerald says the order will be reviewed in one week.

Residents in the affected communities are advised to stay home as much as possible except to get essentials such as food and medication.

Fitzgerald says more than 200,000 people in the province have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2021. 

The Canadian Press