Coronavirus (COVID-19) Local News

The lack of hand sanitizer on store shelves, in hospitals and for first responders during the COVID-19 outbreak has spurred a pair of distillers on Vancouver Island to start producing it.

When Vivian Moreau and her husband left Canada just over a week ago, the world was different. She was the only one wiping down every inch of her airplane seat with antibacterial wipes on their U.K.-bound flight.

Behind Dr. Bonnie Henry, who has rocketed to household name status in B.C. due to her medical leadership, there are offices where a pandemic has been pondered for years.

A new financial-assistance package for Canadians losing income because of COVID-19 doesn’t address the needs of those who will suffer most from the financial fallout, says an anti-poverty advocate.

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The COVID-19 outbreak has forced the cancellation of the Island Farms Victoria Day Parade — an event that, until now, has run every year for 122 years, making it the longest-running annual parade in Canada.

To deal with COVID-19 fallout the City of Victoria is considering wide-ranging moves to assist the homeless, renters, businesses and taxpayers.

Referral-only clinics to screen for COVID-19 have opened in Nanaimo, Port Alberni and the Cowichan Valley. The clinics will serve only those who have been referred by a primary-care provider or an 811 nurse.

A student at the University of Victoria has tested positive for COVID-19, the university’s first confirmed case of the virus.

B.C. Ferries says it is suspending all food services on board ships and in its terminals, with the exception of northern routes, which will have limited offerings.