MONTREAL -- The COVID-19 screening clinic at Place des Festivals in downtown Montreal is being taken down Monday and transferred to the Hotel-Dieu emergency department, health officials said.

Th health and social services agency in charge of the south central part of the Island of Montreal (CIUSSS) said in a news release that “community transmission now generates the most cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, which is why a new approach to screening is being implemented.”

The Hotel-Dieu will host two new medical units able to hold 100 patients each. One wing will be designated for COVID-19 patients and the other for elderly patients without the virus recovering from other illnesses or conditions.

Health officials don’t want to put them at risk of infection by returning them to long-term care facilities dealing with outbreaks.

The COVID-19-positive wing will see patients from other hospitals whose conditions have stabilized, but not cleared to go home.

The Hotel Dieu site is not a full functioning hospital, so will only be used for patients who do not need to be continually on a ventilator or are at high risk of respiratory failure.

The CIUSSS advises those with flu, gastrointestinal or COVID-19 symptoms to call 514-644-4545 or 1-877-644-4545 for an assessment that will result in being directed to the correct clinic if necessary.

The CIUSSS will be screening the following patients first: