Home News Local News York Region opens free isolation centre for COVID-19

York Region opens free isolation centre for COVID-19

February 7, 2021

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By: Mike Anderson

York Region has opened a free COVID-19 Voluntary Isolation Centre for residents who can’t self-isolate safely from others in their household.

The centre is available for anyone who is waiting for their COVID-19 test results; is COVID-19 positive or likely COVID-19 positive; or is a close contact of a positive case.

According to Dr. Karim Kurji, York Region’s Medical Officer of Health, 70 per cent of infections result from close contacts within households, and that larger households are now being affected.

“The pattern has changed in York Region in that we started seeing larger households getting infected. So, in one instance, we had 12 people in a household, and nine of them got infected. And, we thought that maybe the pattern has changed and that it would be useful to have one of these isolation centres for us,” Dr. Kurji said.

“It’s very difficult to self-isolate properly in a home situation. Unfortunately, by the time the results are known, the transmission might have already occurred to family members. So that’s the biggest negative. And, then if you live in a household, you are going to have droplets in various places, and there is the problem of maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks.”

The move also follows a recent increase in the number of confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant (U.K. variant) in York Region, which is reportedly 56 per cent more transmissible.

There are now 58 confirmed variant cases in York Region, including 19 U.K variant cases.

Five variant cases have been identified in Georgina to date, with three being confirmed as the U.K. variant.

According to public health, none of the variant cases have been hospitalized, and there have been no fatalities.

While the isolation centre was planned before the onset of variant cases, Dr. Kurji urges those infected with a variant to self-isolate at the facility.

“Given that the variant is much more transmissible, we are persuading them, if they wish to isolate there, that it will be better for them,” he said.

“We are trying to promote it quite aggressively because we want the community to make use of this facility because we truly believe that we can reduce the transmission due to close contexts within the household.”

The isolation centre, located in southern York Region, is a converted hotel with a 280-bed capacity. The exact location has not been made public to protect the privacy of its guests.

Operated by the Canadian Red Cross and funded by the federal government, the facility is one of several isolation centres being set up in hots spots across the province.

According to Dr. Kurji, anyone testing positive will be contacted by public health and encouraged to self-isolate at the new facility.

He also said the province is providing financial supports to help residents deal with the costs.

“Some people may not actually be able to self-isolate because of financial reasons. So, now they can be potentially assisted, depending on the eligibility criteria,” he said.

According to Dr. Kurji, eligibility for “wrap-around supports,’ include assistance with rent, utilities and food, would be determined by social service agencies.

For more information on how to book a stay, residents should contact Access York (email: AccessYork@york.ca; 1-877-464-9675, ext. 72500). There is also information available on the Region’s website: www.york.ca/isolationcentre.

The facility offers free parking, and for those without access to a vehicle, free private transportation can be arranged.

While the isolation centre was intended to service hot spots like Markham and Richmond Hill, Dr. Kurji urges Georgina residents to consider self-isolating at the new facility.

“It’s actually for any resident in York Region. Anybody can go, so we would urge people in the other areas to call Access York or get in touch with us. We want this facility to be used properly.”