After a social media post questioned communal pizza at a COVID-19 testing line in Halifax, Public Health said there is no reason for concern.
A Twitter post circled Tuesday night with a photo showing two people handing out pizza outside of the pop-up testing centre on Dalhousie University campus.
“Volunteers at the site said: ‘take a slice and pass the box back’ Who thought this was a good idea?,” read the post.
Wednesday morning, the post gained some traction with residents expressing concern over the safety of sharing pizza.
“Please don’t hand around communal pizza boxes in a public setting during a global pandemic,” one Twitter user said.
Aaron Sophocleous said in a Twitter message “people were separating slices with their bare hands and sharing boxes amongst the crowd.”
However, Nova Scotia Public Health told Global News that Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease expert, indicated the risk of transmission through the pizza “was very low.”
“Turnout was far greater than anticipated yesterday and pizza was purchased by Dr. Lisa Barrett to show her appreciation for those waiting in long line-ups in the cold weather,” said spokesperson Marla MacInnis.
MacInnis indicated there was no cause for concern over the pizza.
She also said Public Health is very pleased with the turnout at its pop-up rapid testing sites.
After hundreds turned out to receive free tests on Dalhousie’s Sexton Campus on Tuesday, the province is continuing its rollout of a series of pop-up centres in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Asymptomatic testing at Dalhousie continued on Wednesday, with an even longer wait line.