The Manitoba government is seeking feedback from Manitobans on plans to move to the ‘restricted’ (orange) level on the Pandemic Response System and continue to restore safely services and activities while balancing the needs of the health-care system.
The province has launched a survey on https://EngageMB.ca and invites Manitobans to share feedback on their priorities for potential easing of the current level ‘red’ or ‘critical’ COVID-19 restrictions. The survey asks questions about Manitobans’ perspectives on the risk of the virus and their comfort levels with different activities. In addition, people will be asked their thoughts on the timing, such as if changes should happen sooner, or wait until after the Easter and Passover holidays.
Possible changes include increasing outside gathering limits, expanding capacity at retail stores and religious services, expanding indoor restaurant dining criteria to include a household and their designated visitors, allowing organized team games at indoor sporting facilities, and removing the requirement that youth must wear a mask while taking part in indoor sporting activities, such as hockey or soccer.
In addition, other changes include enabling indoor theatres, indoor concert halls, casino and gaming centres to open at limited capacity levels and removing the requirement to self-isolate for 14 days for interprovincial/domestic travellers who travel for business reasons and do not have symptoms.
Public health officials are not considering changes to indoor or outdoor gathering sizes at personal residences at this time, noting that close, prolonged contact has a higher risk of transmitting the virus.
For more details on each option and to provide feedback, visit https://engagemb.ca/restartmb-pandemic-response-system