Pandemics, as you may know, are ancient. And the ways we respond to them today are often still based on the ancient methods: quarantine, self isolation and physical distancing. The biblical myth says “You remain unclean as long as you have the disease, and you must live outside the camp, away from others.” Interpreted one […]
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Posted inNews + Opinion
“I just want people to love us like they love our food”
Haligonians, like all Canadians, are fond of thinking of themselves as “better than Americans.” This thought comes with a gentle self-congratulatory pat on the back, and a brazen lack of awareness about the ways anti-Asian racism permeates the membranes of our city. When a racist, misogynist 21-year-old murdered eight people, six of Asian descent, in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A new case at Northwood brings echoes of last year’s deadly outbreak
It’s been over a year since COVID-19 arrived at the doorstep of Northwood’s Halifax campus and claimed the first three lives of an outbreak that would go on to infect 240 residents and kill a total of 53. And it’s been just under 11 months since the province declared that outbreak over. But on Tuesday […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Where to get a rapid COVID-19 test this weekend (May 1-2)
Note: This article is old. For more current info, read our latest ‘Where to Get Tested’ article. On Friday, the Nova Scotia government paused booked PCR tests for most Nova Scotians. This weekend, the only tests available (unless you’re a close contact or possible exposure) are rapid or pop-up tests. To get a rapid test […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
“We’re going to be throwing vaccines in the garbage and it could’ve been in somebody’s arm.”
The scene at one HRM pharmacy looks like this: Back-to-back appointments, four an hour. The sound of vials of vaccine cracking open is such a constant noise it probably permeates the pharmacists’ dreams. It’s a well-oiled machine, if one that’s new on its feet. “We’re highly sought after,” says the pharmacy manager (who, like all […]
Posted inArts + Music
15 lockdown life enhancers to help you hold on
It’s our third time around this dance floor that feels a little more on fire with every step. A third wave of COVID-19 has come ashore in Nova Scotia, and a strict, circuit breaker lockdown is in effect to help curb the spread. But you already know all this, because you’re either risking your life […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
After public pressure, Nova Scotia to start collecting race-based healthcare data
The Nova Scotia government has started a community-based working group to begin collecting race-based data in the province’s healthcare system. This comes after researchers and members of the public applied pressure on the government to start collecting health data by race. “We know that race is one of the factors that affects people’s access to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
It’s irresponsible to refuse a vaccine (yes, even AstraZeneca)
Since vaccines first began rolling out in Nova Scotia, public health officials have been telling residents to get a vaccine as soon as they can, once one becomes available. “Ultimately it’s an individual choice, but I would say: if you get an opportunity to get a vaccine, take it,” said doctor Robert Strang during a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Women scramble to find childcare in lockdown—again
Last week, schools around HRM began shutting down for cleaning after COVID-19 exposures. “We didn’t have to get tested, we were not told that there was a case in the school, but it was a case in the community,” says Ronit Milo, whose eight-year-old son’s Dartmouth school shut down Thursday. As the days went on, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
6 things in the federal budget you should know about if you live in Halifax
The 2021 federal budget was announced last week. Oh, you were too busy getting COVID-19 tests and prepping for the local lockdown to care? That’s understandable. But now that you’ve had a few days to settle into the slowdown, you might like some good news from Ottawa to take your mind off our outbreak. In […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The new COVID restrictions: What’s considered essential in Nova Scotia
On Tuesday, with 96 new cases bringing the province to a total of 419 active COVID-19 infections, Nova Scotia locked down. Not only does the rest of the province join Halifax, which went into lockdown Friday, but the restrictions are getting tighter. “We are in a race between the variant and the vaccine,” said doctor […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Short-staffed and with sick students, Halifax schools close for two weeks
In the past seven days, there have been 30 cases connected to schools in Nova Scotia. That’s more than in the previous five months, so a junior high math student could figure out there’s a growing COVID-19 problem in the school system. Sure enough, with 323 active cases in the province, most of those—266 to […]
