COVID-19 closure of Halifax shelter has 'huge impact' on community

A case of COVID-19 found at an emergency shelter in downtown Halifax sent dozens of people into isolation last week and has caused the shelter to temporarily close.

Thirty guests and 15 staff from Metro Turning Point — a shelter for men on Barrington Street — have been in isolation since May 12. 

So far, no additional cases have been found, but an official said containing the virus has not been the only concern for shelter operators.

The director of practice and development at Shelter Nova Scotia, which operates Metro Turning Point, said the closure has had "a huge impact" on the community the shelter serves.

"Not only do we support 30 people on a given night, we have many, many more come to the space every single day, throughout the night, throughout the evening, recognizing there are staff there to support people 24/7," said Melissa Puddicombe.

She said people regularly stop by Metro Turning Point to ask for information, to retrieve belongings they might have left during a previous stay, or to look for loved ones.

Shelter Nova Scotia has brought in security to monitor the space, and a few staff who are not in isolation are also on site to direct people to other resources.

"We also recognize there's no easy answers because we do know that it is challenging right now to be able to find access to resources," said Puddicombe.

Guests isolating in hotel rooms

The 30 people who were staying at Metro Turning Point when the case was detected have been moved into hotel rooms for their two-week isolation. 

Since the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, has said communal living spaces like shelters are hotbeds for viral transmission. 

There are still several days to go and more COVID-19 swabs to be tested before it's known if Metro Turning Point was the site of any transmission, but Puddicombe said she's pleased that so far, the one case seems to be contained.

"We believe that that's to do with taking as many precautions as we can around employees and guests wearing masks. And our employees are also wearing face shields, our guests have been offered the same. People are wearing gowns, [using] tons and tons of hand sanitizer and gloves, and people are handwashing," said Puddicombe.

The shelter was renovated last year to create cubicle-like spaces for each bed, called snugs. The remodel meant capacity was slashed to 30 beds from 55, but Puddicombe said it made the space more COVID-safe.

"The snugs have really helped with our guests being able to just find space away from one another in what was otherwise a common open space that our regular shelter is," she said.

About 600 people vaccinated at shelters

The provincial government announced in late March it would make COVID-19 vaccines available to shelter guests, staff and volunteers through mobile clinics. 

The North End Community Health Centre administered the program and executive director Marie-France LeBlanc said between 550 and 600 people have received shots at shelter locations throughout Halifax.

LeBlanc said a good majority of those have received both doses, and efforts are ongoing to make sure people who are homeless or insecurely housed get access to COVID-19 vaccines.

When the province announced the program, it said the goal was to vaccinate 900 people.

Puddicombe could not provide the exact number of people from Metro Turning Point who have been vaccinated. She said some are fully vaccinated, some have received a single dose, and some are not vaccinated at all.