Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced provincewide changes to the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System today in order to halt the growing community transmission of COVID-19 in Manitoba.
“The incubation period for this virus is up to 14 days – if we limit our contacts and stay home, we could see drastic reductions in transmission within weeks,” said Dr. Roussin. “We have done this before and I am confident we can do it again. But we need to be serious about this if we want to bend the curve.”
Click here for a list of the new measures in Manitoba.
Critical level (red) in the Winnipeg Metro Region includes:
– Bars and restaurants will be closed except for take-out and delivery.
– Most retail will be reduced to 25 per cent capacity.
– Sports and recreation programming will be suspended.
– Gyms and fitness centres will have reduced capacity to 25 per cent and masks will be mandatory, even when exercising.
– Movie theatres and concert halls will close.
– Personal services have no change and stay at 50 per cent capacity.
– Non-urgent and elective surgeries and diagnostics will be suspended. Scheduled surgeries in a number of essential and time-sensitive areas will continue to be performed including cancer, cardiac and trauma. Patients will be contacted directly if their scheduled surgeries are affected.
– Visitation at all Manitoba hospitals has been suspended, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis for patients receiving end-of-life care, in labour and delivery, as well as in pediatrics.
– Faith-based gatherings are reduced to 15 per cent or 100 people, whichever is lower.
Restricted level (orange) in the Southern Health–Santé Sud, the Interlake–Eastern, Prairie Mountain Health and Northern health regions includes:
– Public and private group gathering sizes limited to five, in addition to household.
– Capacity limited to 50 per cent at restaurants and bars, with group sizes limited to five.
– Reduced retail capacity to 50 per cent, encouraging limiting those who go shopping from each household.
– Blended learning for grades 9 to 12, voluntary blended learning temporarily available for kindergarten to Grade 8, encouraging as much physical distancing as possible.
– Personal services have no change and stay at 50 per cent capacity.
– Reduced spectators at sports and recreation facilities to 25 per cent.
– Gyms and fitness centers require contact information for all attendees and mask use at all times, except when exercising.
– Faith-based gatherings are reduced to 20 per cent or 250 people, whichever is lower.
In addition to these changes, the province is encouraging businesses in the Winnipeg Metro Region, including the public service, to have staff work from home wherever possible, and for residents to stay home when sick and take whatever action possible to reduce their contacts and otherwise gathering in public.
Unless recommended by public health officials, only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing. Individuals with symptoms are asked to seek testing as soon as possible once symptoms are present. If you are not sure if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, use the online assessment tool or check COVID-19 symptoms.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.
For up-to-date information on the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System, visit:
https://manitoba.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs/index.html.