Toronto may see isolation centres for COVID-19 cases

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's medical officer of health is recommending that city officials implement a centre for people to self-isolate and quarantine on a volunteer basis to help slow the spread of COVID-19, according to City News.

The centre could act as an alternative for people who test positive for COVID-19 but cannot quarantine at their home effectively due to living with other people.

"An example of this would be people who live in large, crowded households where adequate space is not available to follow isolation or quarantine guidelines," wrote de Villa in a report she presented during Toronto's Board of Health meeting on Thursday.

"This report recommends that the Board of Health request the Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Health Ontario and the Ministry of Health to support work being done on this program as well as other methods to achieve isolation where it is challenging to achieve, in order to protect household members from infected cohabitants."

Dr. de Villa also included in her report the fact that the city is already providing isolation sites for the city's homeless who are infected with COVID-19. She said that provincial health officials have already begun preliminary talks about initiating such a program.

Similar programs have been introduced in cities such as Chicago and New York that can house up to 1,200 rooms for people to quarantine safely. These programs plan to expand to the point of being able to house 3,000 people by the end of summer.