Self-isolation is one of the most effective ways to help stop the spread of COVID-19. However, for some Canadians, crowded housing conditions and restrictive costs can make it unsafe or impossible to self-isolate, increasing the risk of community transmission.
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced $23.7 million for the Province of Ontario to operate a number of safe, voluntary isolation sites in various communities identified under Ontario's High Priority Community Strategy. These sites will help residents in the province who have COVID-19, or have been exposed to it, access safe isolation accommodations to keep themselves and their community safe.
Voluntary isolation sites reduce the risks of spreading the virus among household contacts, both in Canada's densely populated urban centres, as well as in locations where people are faced with crowded housing and resources constraints. These sites are one of the rapid response tools we have to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and they can be deployed to communities facing outbreaks.
The Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites program exists to fill a gap for cities, municipalities and health regions that are at-risk of high rates of COVID-19 transmission. Evidence continues to indicate that individuals from lower income and densely populated neighbourhoods are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including its most severe outcomes.
Sites selected under the Program provide an accessible location where identified individuals can safely self-isolate for the required period. Local public health officials will help determine eligible individuals who may be offered the option to transfer to the isolation site on a voluntary basis to keep them and their household contacts safe during an outbreak in their community.
This funding to the Province of Ontario, over the course of six months, will allow the continued operation of sites in Toronto, Peel, York and Durham, totalling up to 1,600 rooms to accommodate identified individuals who are unable to self-isolate safely at home.
There are currently 374 rooms for residents funded in the province under the Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites Program. This latest funding will allow for an additional 1,600 rooms to be created bringing the total to approximately 1975 rooms in the province. ■