With many predicting that those living on the streets will be among the most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Region of Waterloo and its major cities have taken measures to ensure that this is not an issue.
Region of Waterloo CAO Mike Murray said on Monday that the Radisson Hotel will be used as an isolation shelter “when that’s needed.”
“We now have a solution in place for an isolation shelter for people who are experiencing homelessness, who may need to be isolated as we work through the pandemic,” Murray said. “So we have a specific location that has been set up to deal with that and to make sure that those people are provided with appropriate medical supports.”
He also credited the Waterloo Region Community Support Control Group for their hard work.
“They have been doing a lot of work to make sure that marginalized and street-involved people in our community aren’t disadvantaged through this pandemic,” he explained. “There’s been a lot of work in terms of providing more amenities for people who are experiencing homelessness.”
Murray said that over the weekend Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo opened up washroom spaces for the public.
“There’s also daytime drop-in space for people experiencing homelessness and those drop-in spaces have been opened up in Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge as well,” he said.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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