On a day when the city of Toronto reported 74 new cases of COVID-19 — the city’s largest single-day count since mid-June — Ottawa and Mayor John Tory announced a voluntary, self-isolation centre was opening.

”We’ve heard heartbreaking stories of people knowing that they are ill and knowing that they don’t have the c apacity to stop the spread within thier own home,” says Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu. 

The federal government is providing $13.9-million to operate the 140-room centre for 12 months.

The city’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, says Toronto Public Health case investigators will determine who can use the centre.

”What this all comes down to is simply this:  many people living under one roof and not enough space increases the risk that COVID-19 will spread in that household, which means it can spread in the community too,” adds de Villa.

”This voluntary isolation site helps to reduce those risks.”

Health Minister Hajdu says Ottawa’s open to helping other cities open similar centres if needed.