Halifax classic diner reflects on changes since COVID-19 pandemic declared 5 years ago

It’s been five years since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic

It’s been five years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic -- changing the way people lived, worked and connected with one another.

The coronavirus was first detected in China and spread rapidly around the globe, triggering lockdowns and strict restriction of movement.

“In some ways, it feels longer ago, and in some ways, it feels like it was yesterday,” said Mike Cormier, owner of the Ardmore Tea Room, a beloved diner on Halifax’s Quinpool Road.

Cormier was vacationing in Florida on March 11, 2020, when the WHO declared the global outbreak of the coronavirus had reached pandemic status. There was so much uncertainty at the time and it was a bit overwhelming, he said, and looking back now at some of the rules seems a little surreal.

“We were in Fort Myers, and we weren’t allowed to walk on the beach, you had to walk on the street,” said Cormier. “But the beach was gigantic, but there was a lot of things that didn’t make sense at the time.”

The pandemic has left a lasting mark on the restaurant industry and the Ardmore Tea Room is no exception, but some changes have been good for business, said Cormier. Known for its all-day breakfast and classic charm, the diner had to make some big changes to stay afloat during the pandemic, like offering take out, which is now a big part of his business, something they rarely did before the pandemic.

“During the pandemic there was some time to evaluate the business and what we were doing,” said Cormier. “We used to do very little take out, like maybe an order or two per day. But now it’s 30 per cent of the business.”

The hours have changed, too. They used to be open from 5 a.m. until 8 p.m., but the diner has now shifted to being open from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and the longtime “cash only” policy is gone.

“We were cash only up until the pandemic and then we started taking credit cards,” said Cormier, who believes the move has opened them up to more business.

Health experts reflect on COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned

Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang, says the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic have left the province better prepared not just for future health crises, but for general emergencies like natural disasters.

“We’re better prepared for a range of emergencies but even in infectious diseases, as we have avian flu in front of us and a potential resurgence of measles,” said Strang.

Public Health has strengthened its skills and knowledge post-pandemic and is currently utilizing its mobile health care capacity to identify communities where they need to increase measles vaccination rates.

“We’ve built better connections across the health system as a result of our work during COVID,” said Strang. “Public Health is working with primary care and our hospitals in a much more effective manner, and I think we have strengthened our overall emergency preparedness”

Infectious disease expert Dr. Lisa Barrett was a key source for information for Maritimers during the pandemic. She emphasized we need to remain vigilant as the virus is still circulating and we need to learn from successes and evolving science.

“I think we demonstrated that science can have a huge impact,” said Barrett. “Vaccines, new ways to test people faster and all kinds of ways of using technology to bring healthcare and everything to people during a pandemic when they couldn’t associate.”

She says part of what Maritimers and Nova Scotians did so well was support and look after one another, and in a broad sense that was a huge success, especially early on.

“You have to pay attention to what the evidence shows and the evidence of what’s best will change,” said Barrett.

At the same time, Barrett said we can’t hold any information back. She said we learned that we have to trust people with knowledge, and we have to give people straight facts.

“If we trust people with knowledge and give them some context on how to use it, they do it very well,” said Barrett. “We don’t need to filter things from people as much as we still do.”

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