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Hockey rinks and other city buildings could be transformed into temporary COVID-19 assessment centres, people could be told to work from home, everything from major public events to minor surgeries could be cancelled and large numbers of people could be asked to isolate themselves at home.

Ottawa residents remain at low risk for COVID-19, with no local cases yet. However, the respiratory illness has spread rapidly around the world since it was first seen in Wuhan, China, in December, with more than 85,000 people infected worldwide and more than 2,800 deaths around the world. There have been at least 24 confirmed or presumptive cases in Canada with many more expected.

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The spread of the virus has officials in Ottawa preparing for the global pandemic that seems increasingly likely.

What would that look like?

That depends on how serious the local outbreak is, how many cases there are and how long it lasts — things that can’t be fully known in advance.