THUNDER BAY – The city’s mayor said the decision to declare a second state of emergency in Thunder Bay stems from two ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 at the city’s correctional facilities.
On Tuesday, the city announced they had submitted an urgent request to the province for additional support for health and social services due to the current pandemic. The assistance would expand the capacity of the isolation centre for those who are COVID-19 positive or are considered high-risk contacts and have nowhere else to go.
On Wednesday, Feb. 3, Mayor Bill Mauro said the decision was necessary to potentially slow the community spread of COVID-19 if inmates at the jail and correctional centre are released while positive with the virus or pending results.
“We were concerned that some of those people that tested positive or had been tested and we didn’t have the results back yet even though we knew there is an outbreak in the facility…there is a probability they would be positive,” Mauro said. “Then they are out in the community and they might go into a shelter or be homeless and then you might have community spread.
Mauro said he declared the emergency because of the impact it could have on an isolation shelter.
“It’s about staffing and it’s about financing to expand isolation,” he said.
The first time the city declared a state of emergency was on April 23.
