Windsor Regional Hospital's COVID-19 assessment centre will open Monday

Windsor Regional Hospital's (WRH) Ouellette campus is set to open a COVID-19 assessment centre Monday morning.

President and CEO David Musyj said the assessment centre which will allow individuals who meet case definitions to be tested for COVID-19 will open on Monday, March 16 at 9 a.m. in the current ambulatory area next to the emergency department at the Ouellette campus.

"It will have its own entrance from the parking lot and will not be accessible to the hospital," Musyj said. "You will not be able to access it from the hospital."

In addition to the Ouellette campus assessment centre, Musyj said the eventual plan is to open another centre at Windsor's RegionalMet campus in the current endoscopy area.

Showing up at the centre will not guarantee a test for COVID-19. Musyj stressed that if someone does not have symptoms of COVID-19, they will not be tested at the centre.

"The province wants to be in front of this issue, rather than reactive," he said.

• Watch how the COVID-19 assessment centre will operate starting Monday.

Musyj said the Ouellette assessment centre will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, adding that hours will be expanded when volumes increase.

The hospital has looked at the possible operation of drive-thru testing centres similar to whatSouth Korea has set up, but decided this on campus option was best so patients were close to critical care if needed.

Earlier Friday morning, Windsor Regional announced it would begin enforcing visitor restrictions on Saturday, as a COVID-19 precaution.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, regular patients will be permitted one visit. Pediatric patients, patients in critical care, neonatal intensive care or palliative patients will be permitted two visitors.

The province wants to be in front of this issue, rather than reactive.- David Musyj, President and CEO, Windsor Regional Hospital

As of Friday, Windsor-Essex region still has no confirmed cases of COVID-19. A Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare physician working in psychiatry showed symptoms on Thursday, and is currently self-isolating while they wait for their test results.

Musyj acknowledged that several rumours regarding presumptive cases have been circulating, adding that officials will inform residents when a case is confirmed.

"It's going to be coming," he said. "So expect that it's going to be here."

In a separate press conference during Friday afternoon, Windsor's chief administrative officer,Onorio Colucci said that city and public health officials are constantly monitoring the coronavirus situation.

According to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, community risk continues to remain low.