WINNIPEG — As COVID-19 cases spike in Winnipeg, the province is moving the city and the metropolitan region to the orange level on Manitoba’s Pandemic Response System.
Effective Monday, September 28, mask usage will be mandatory in all indoor public places. Public gatherings will also be restricted to 10 people, both indoors and outdoors. The change also applies to weddings and funerals.
The restrictions will remain in place for a minimum of four weeks (two incubation periods of the virus).
“The more contacts each of us has puts each of us at risk,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer.
“We need to ensure we are making careful choices about who we are spending time with, the nature of that time, as well as the amount of people.”
The new public health orders apply to the following communities:
- City of Winnipeg
- City of Selkirk
- Town of Stonewall
- Rural Municipality (RM) of Cartier
- RM of Headingley
- RM of Macdonald
- RM of Ritchot
- RM of Rockwood
- RM of Rosser
- RM of Springfield
- RM of St. Andrews
- RM of St. Clements
- RM of St. François Xavier
- RM of Taché
- RM of West St. Paul
- RM of East St. Paul
- Town of Niverville
- Village of Dunnottar
The province and public health officials are consulting with the restaurant industry as well as bars, beverage rooms, brew pubs, microbreweries and distilleries on steps that could be implemented to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Additional measures may be put in place following consultations with the industry.
Manitoba reported 54 new probable cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 1,765.
There are 487 active cases, 1,258 people have recovered and 13 people are in hospital, including six in the intensive care unit. Nineteen people have died.
Friday’s cases include:
• 2 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• 2 cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region
• 2 cases in the Northern health region
• 4 cases in the Southern Health
• 44 cases in the Winnipeg health region
Confirmed laboratory testing numbers show 1,607 tests were completed on Wednesday and 2,354 tests were completed on Thursday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February to 173,999.
Exposure at River East Collegiate
Public health officials have advised River East Collegiate in Winnipeg of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school on September 18. Based on the public health investigations, the exposure was assessed to be low risk. The infection was not acquired at school.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 no longer has to call Health Links — Info Santé to be screened for a test. Anyone with symptoms is still encouraged to use the online screening tool to determine whether they meet the necessary criteria to attend a community testing site.
Watch Friday’s media briefing:
Further information on COVID-19 can be found at Manitoba.ca/covid19.
