COVID-19 outbreak declared at Toronto East Detention Centre, officials say

Toronto Public Health (TPH) declared a COVID-19 outbreak, with a staff member and four inmates testing positive, at the provincially run Toronto East Detention Centre late Thursday night.

The public health unit said its working closely with the province to minimize the risk to other staff and inmates.

TPH says the outbreak was "declared out of an abundance of caution as the individual who has tested positive is currently under investigation by Durham Region Health Department with a suspected case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant."

There have also been four other inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the facility, but the strain for those individuals is unknown at this time, TPH says.

In a statement emailed to CBC News, the ministry of the solicitor general said predetermined COVID-19 protocols have been implemented. 

"Any inmate that tests positive for COVID-19 is placed on droplet and contact precautions and isolated from the rest of the inmate population while they receive appropriate medical care," the email states. "The ministry works with local Public Health Units to complete contact tracing and to determine isolation and testing requirements for high risk close contacts."

The email also states new admissions to the facility are being diverted to other detention centres and public visits are suspended for the time being.