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HALIFAX, N.S. —

Halifax Transit will likely keep running if a novel coronavirus case is confirmed in Nova Scotia, but putting a halt to its services isn’t completely off the table.

Erica Fleck, assistant chief of community risk reduction for Halifax Regional Municipality, said the fate of bus routes is still up in the air as the spread of COVID-19 unfolds.

“We don’t have an easy answer, but pulling the buses off the road is something we’ve discussed,” Fleck said in an interview Monday.

But cancelling buses would only happen if it was absolutely necessary.

When bus routes were cancelled because of weather in the past, Fleck said some businesses were forced to close since people were unable to get to their destination.

“So we need to look at normal operating,” she said. “We don’t want to hurt citizens being able to get places.”

Discussions surrounding Halifax Transit are following a similar process as the ones leading up to decision about the 2020 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

“The provincial health authority is the lead for (COVID-19 response in Nova Scotia), so the municipality looks at internal services with feedback, but if they direct us to shut down certain services then we would,” Fleck said.

Potential disruptions

Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health, said services, facilities and events may be temporarily stopped, closed or cancelled if the virus starts to spread in Nova Scotia.

“We may potentially need to do things that disrupt our society as the way it normally is,” Strang said at a news conference Friday.

“All these decisions are going to be based on what’s going to be the impact of an intervention to limit the spread of disease, knowing that every time we make a decision like this there are impacts in society.”

Since there are currently no confirmed coronavirus cases in Nova Scotia, Fleck said Halifax Transit hasn’t changed its cleaning procedures just yet.

“Everyone is doing that little bit extra right now, but when we do get confirmed cases obviously that will change,” she said, adding a reminder to people to frequently wash their hands.

Once a COVID-19 case is confirmed in Nova Scotia, common surfaces on the bus, such as handles and bars, will be cleaned more frequently.

With bus drivers at a higher risk, measures to limit contact between bus drivers and passengers are also being looked at. Workers who sort money will also be reminded to wear gloves.

“Right now, we’re having the conversations and doing everything we can ahead of time,” Fleck said.

“But if you’re sick, you need to stay home. Passenger or driver. There’s no question there.”

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