Will April distance bring May existence?

When we look back at March of 2020 years from now, what will we remember? Will we reminisce that it was that month when everything we once took for granted disappeared – like the simple pleasure of stopping at your favourite place for a coffee or sitting down with friends and family members to share a laugh? Or will March 2020 be part of one big blur, the beginning of a long stretch when society as we know it changed almost daily right before our eyes? We know now that April seems a lot like March and, after what we heard from public health officials this week, May will likely be a lot like April.  And so on and so on….

As regular readers, you know that evidence-based articles from our academic authors about all aspects of the coronavirus pandemic dominated our news file in March. The Conversation Canada and La Conversation Canada combined to produce more than 150 articles, the most we’ve ever published in a single month, and so for your weekend reading I’ve assembled our most-read coronavirus stories for the month of March.

Stay healthy this weekend and we’ll be back in your Inbox on Monday.

Scott White

CEO | Editor-in-Chief

Our Top Coronavirus Stories from March

Coronavirus FAQs: Can people without symptoms spread COVID-19? How long does it live on surfaces? What cleaning products kill the virus?

Craig Janes, University of Waterloo

With offices shut down, people staying at home and hospitals bracing for an influx of patients, many people are unsure of what's safe and what's not.

Coronavirus: How behaviour can help control the spread of COVID-19

Peter Hall, University of Waterloo

Large-scale adoption of simple, individual actions — like disinfecting our germ-laden phone screens — can limit the ability of COVID-19 to get a foothold.

Coronavirus and sex: Dos and don'ts during social distancing

Gonzalo R. Quintana Zunino, Concordia University

During the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual activity may pose risks of transmission. A sex researcher shares information on how sex relates to the current pandemic, and how to prevent transmission.

Coronavirus response proves the world can act on climate change

Eric Galbraith, McGill University; Ross Otto, McGill University

The policy response to COVID-19 has been dramatic, unlike the response to climate change, for several reasons. But it shows there's hope for real action on climate change.

Covid-19 : voici pourquoi les mesures d’éloignement social sont nécessaires

Melanie Drolet, Université Laval; Guillaume Gingras, Université Laval; Marc Brisson, Université Laval

Le taux de létalité élevé de la Covid-19 et la possibilité de transmission de cette maladie en l’absence de symptômes justifient la nécessité et l’importance des mesures d’éloignement social.

Coronavirus et fake news : l’assemblage catastrophique

Mathieu-Robert Sauvé, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Fausses nouvelles, désinformation, infox... C’est un vrai cauchemar informationnel que la pandémie a généré dans les réseaux sociaux numériques.