(Disclaimer)

Help stop the spread and prevent future outbreaks! Use this new Canadian contact tracing app to:

• Report your current COVID-19 diagnosis
• Get alerted if you have come into contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19

For more information and to download, visit the Public Health Agency of Canada COVID Alert page.

If you have general questions about COVID-19, or worry that you may have been exposed and aren’t sure what to do, please call the Toronto Public Health hotline. Information is available in multiple languages.

Telephone: 416-338-7600
TTY (teletypewriter): 416-392-0658
Email: PublicHealth@toronto.ca

Hours*: 8:30 am to 8:00 pm daily

After-hours: call 311 and ask for Toronto Public Health | TTY: 416-338-0889 | Email: 311@toronto.ca

*Hours subject to change. Check the City of Toronto’s COVID-19 webpage for up-to-date information.

Mandatory use of masks or face coverings

Effective June 11, 2022, provincial mask mandates in Ontario have been lifted with the exception of long-term care and retirement homes. For more details on changes to mask policies, please review the province's COVID-19 directives. 

Note that wearing masks or face coverings indoors helps keep our respiratory droplets to ourselves to prevent spreading germs to others. 

Wearing non-medical (cloth) masks or face coverings is an added public health measure for containing the spread of COVID-19 when it is used in combination with frequent handwashing, physical distancing and staying home when sick.To protect yourself and others, wear a non-medical mask or face covering when:

• you're in public and you might come into close contact with others
• you're in shared indoor spaces with people from outside your immediate household
• advised by your local public health authority

Public health officials make recommendations for wearing masks based on a number of factors. These factors include rates of infection and/or transmission in the community. In some jurisdictions, the use of masks is now mandatory in many indoor public spaces and on public transit. Check with your local public health authority on the requirements for your location.

Mask-Wearing Tips

Well-designed and well-fitting masks or face coverings can prevent the spread of your infectious respiratory droplets. They may also help protect you from the infectious respiratory droplets of others.How well a mask or face covering works depends on the materials used, how the mask is made, and most importantly, how well it fits.

A mask or face covering can be homemade or purchased, and should:

• be made of at least 3 layers (*updated Nov 3, 2020 - based on updated Public Health Agency of Canada Guidelines*)
  • 2 layers should be tightly woven material fabric, such as cotton or linen
  • the third (middle) layer should be a filter-type fabric, such as non-woven polypropylene fabric
• be large enough to completely and comfortably cover the nose, mouth and chin without gaping
• allow for easy breathing
• fit securely to the head with ties or ear loops
• be comfortable and not require frequent adjustments
• be changed as soon as possible if damp or dirty
• maintain its shape after washing and drying

Reusable masks with a non-woven filter layer should be washed daily, and can be washed multiple times. Disposable filters should be changed daily or as directed by the manufacturer.

Non-medical face masks should not: 

• Be shared with others
• Impair vision or interfere with tasks
• Be placed on children under 2 years of age
• Be made of plastic or other non-breathable materials 
• Be secured with tape or other inappropriate materials

​(Source: Government of Canada - Non-medical face masks and coverings)

Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China

(See the Lancet article)

Self-Assessment:

• Ontario Self-Assessment Tool

From the Government of Ontario.

If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who has it, take this self-assessment from the Ontario government to help determine if you need to seek further care.

You will get a recommendation on what to do next. You can also take it on behalf of someone else.

• COVID-19 school and child care screening

From the Government of Ontario.

A self-assessment tool to help you decide if you should or should not go to school/child care today.

Find an assessment site:

• COVID-19 Ontario Assessment Centres

Includes hours and up-to-date information on what you need to know before visiting a centre.  Updated by Ushma Purohit (University of Toronto Medical Student) & Michael Fralick (MD, PhD)​

• Assessment centre map locator by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA):