Passengers on board a flight from Toronto to Halifax last week may have been exposed to COVID-19, Nova Scotia's public health agency said Wednesday as it reported a new confirmed case of the virus.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) said the potential COVID-19 exposure occured June 26 on WestJet flight WS 248 from Toronto to Halifax.

The flight left Toronto at 10 a.m. and landed in Halifax just after 1 p.m that day, the agency said in a statement.

“Those on the flight should self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19,” it said.

The news came as Nova Scotia confirmed that it had identified a new COVID-19 case on Tuesday, the second case announced in as many days after the province went three weeks without any new infections.

The government said the new case is a Nova Scotian who travelled outside of Canada.

The other active case was identified June 29 and is also travel-related.

“The new cases this week show that COVID-19 is still very much here,” Premier Stephen McNeil said in a statement Wednesday.

“So please continue to follow public health directives and advice, look out for your fellow Nova Scotians and do all you can to keep COVID-19 under control.”

The Nova Scotia Health Authority said anyone on the Toronto-Halifax flight may have been exposed to COVID-19, but passengers in seats A to C in rows 16 through 21 are at greater risk of exposure.

It asked those passengers to call 811 for advice and to self-monitor for potential COVID-19 symptoms.

In an email to The Canadian Press, Morgan Bell, a spokeswoman for WestJet, said the NSHA advised the company today about the potential COVID-19 exposure on the flight.

“The public health authority has jurisdiction, and a process, for notifying guests on board the flight, we are providing all necessary information as required,” Bell said.

She said WestJet also has a process in place to notify crew on affected flights.

Nova Scotia has reported 1,063 cases of COVID-19 and 63 deaths so far during the pandemic.

As of Friday, residents will be allowed to travel between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island without needing to self-isolate.

People have been asked to abide by local public health directives and avoid travelling if they exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 1, 2020.