Outbreak declared at Toronto jail after 34 COVID-19 cases confirmed

Toronto East Detention Centre seen in October 2021. (Simon Sheehan/CP24)

Toronto — Nearly three dozen COVID-19 cases have been confirmed at a jail in Scarborough, prompting Toronto Public Health to declare an outbreak.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed to CTV Toronto Thursday that there are 34 active inmate cases at Toronto East Detention Centre located near Warden Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East.

The ministry did not provide further details about the outbreak, but a spokesperson said in a statement that "each facility has its own pandemic plan in place prepared in consultation with local public health partners."

According to provincial data, the correctional facility began reporting new cases on the week of Sept. 12 with four confirmed infections. The outbreak grew to 17 cases last week .

And on Monday, 17 more inmates were confirmed to have COVID-19, bringing the total cases at the facility to 34.

Before the outbreak, there had been 43 inmate cases at Toronto East Detention Centre since May 2020.

As of Monday, two other correctional facilities in the province, Hamilton Wentworth Detention Centre and Toronto South Detention Centre, have confirmed COVID-19 cases with one each.