WINNIPEG — Manitoba has one new probable case of COVID-19 (coronavirus), bringing the total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba to 36.

The latest case is a man in his 20s who lives in Winnipeg.

Cadham Provincial Laboratory performed 734 tests on Wednesday, up from the day before when 352 tests were completed. As of March 25, a total of 5,606 tests have been performed.

The government declared a state of emergency last week that limits gatherings to 50 people and allows most retail stores to remain open. Schools are in the middle of a three-week shutdown.

Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief public health officer, hinted Thursday schools may be closed for a longer period.

“We’re looking at that,” he said.

“It’s difficult to comprehend a scenario where we would be … lifting our social-distancing strategies any time in the next few weeks.”

New testing sites opening

Two new community drive-thru testing sites will open on Friday in Eriksdale at the Eriksdale Wellness Centre, 35 Railway Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and in Portage la Prairie at the Stride Centre, 245 Royal Rd., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

An additional testing site will open Monday in Pine Falls. More details, including the hours of service, will be released in the coming days.

The community testing site in The Pas will relocate to the Royal Canadian Legion at 4 Veterans Way and will continue to be open Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This will bring the total to 16 community testing sites including seven drive-thru locations.

A fifth drive-thru location will open Saturday at the Manitoba Public Insurance service centre in Dauphin. The centre will close its doors at the of the day Thursday to be transitioned by Prairie Mountain Health. An opening date hasn’t yet been announced.

“Through cooperation and partnerships, we will all do our part to flatten the COVID-19 curve,” said MPI president and CEO Ben Graham. “Business will continue in the Parkland region, albeit a bit differently from what our customers are used to. But such efforts are for the greater good.”

Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links — Info Santé at (204) 788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.

Further information on COVID-19 can be found at Manitoba.ca/covid19.

— With files from The Canadian Press