The inside of a cell at Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside. It's super small, and everything is painted beige. There are two bunks, one obscuring the small window. There's a tiny table bolted to the wall, and one stool bolted to the floor. The toilet sink combo is in the corner by the door. Very homey.
A jail cell in the north wing of the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility. Photo: Halifax Examiner

Active COVID-19 cases at the provincial jail in Burnside are down to 11.

The Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility has had an outbreak since late-December, and Justice Department spokesperson Heather Fairbairn told the Halifax Examiner there have now been a total of 140 cases at the jail.

“As of Jan. 21, there are 11 active cases among those currently in custody at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility,” Fairbairn wrote in an email.

As has been the case throughout, according to Fairbairn, none of the prisoners is in hospital and there are no cases in the jail’s women’s unit.

Fairbairn said since January 1, five people have been approved for temporary absences or early release. The population at the jail, as of January 20, was 223. That means about 63% of prisoners at the facility have had COVID-19.

Meanwhile, there are more cases at one of two federal facilities in Nova Scotia, the Springhill Institution. There are 32 active cases in that prison as of Wednesday, according to Correctional Service of Canada. There are two active cases at the other federal facility, the Nova Institution for Women. Between the two, there have been 59 cases.


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Zane Woodford is the Halifax Examiner’s municipal reporter. He covers Halifax City Hall and contributes to our ongoing PRICED OUT housing series. Twitter @zwoodford

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