Montréal-Nord responds to call for help as COVID-19 cases climb in the borough

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises in Montréal-Nord, the borough has announced a series of new measures aimed at containing the outbreak.

City officials outlined their intervention plan on Wednesday after community groups called for more resources and testing in a borough that now has 1,153 confirmed cases.

That's more than any other borough or municipality on the island, accounting for 10 per cent of the city's infections and representing a rate of 132 cases per 10,000 residents.

Montréal-Nord is one of the poorest districts in Montreal, with more than 20 per cent of residents living on a low income. Borough Mayor Christine Black said she recognizes how poverty exacerbates the challenge people already face in a pandemic.