The city’s COVID-19 isolation centre will be able to expand thanks to a federal investment.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu announced $1.5-million dollars for the site where you can self-isolate if you don’t have a safe place to do so.
“Part of reducing infections is doing that hard work of supporting people to properly isolate as quickly as possible once they’ve received their diagnosis, so that we can actually reduce the number of infections in households,” she says.
The money will kick in on Friday as part of a nationwide funding program.
Mayor Bill Mauro says it will be a big help for the centre.
“This, I’m certain, will bridge us through over the summer months, and when we come out on the other side of this around September, I think we’ll all be in a much better place, and the needs of this population will have been met,” Mauro says.
St. Joseph’s Care Group President and Ceo Tracy Buckler says that since opening in April of 2020, the shelter has helped over 1,300 people who didn’t have a safe place to stay after either testing positive or being directed to isolate.
“We can continue this now,” Buckler says.
