Coronavirus: Man becomes 1st person in Toronto’s shelter system to die of COVID-19, public health says

TORONTO — The City of Toronto says a man in his 50s is the first person to die of COVID-19 in the shelter system.

Medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa says the man lived at Dixon Hall Schoolhouse and died in hospital on May 8.

She says an outbreak occurred at the shelter in April, but it was declared over by May 5.

2:23 Coronavirus outbreak: Man in his 50s first known death in Toronto‘s shelter system

The city’s handling of the homeless during the pandemic has become a contentious issue.

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Advocates recently filed a lawsuit against the city for not enforcing physical distancing guidelines at the shelters.

The city has been buying and leasing hotels in an effort to house the homeless during the pandemic.

There have been 258 cases of COVID-19 in the city’s shelters thus far.