Manitobans are no doubt exhausted with the extended state of COVID-19 restrictions, but an announcement today promises two more weeks of the strongest health measures to date.
The extended public health orders will remain in effect until Saturday, June 12.
“Manitobans must stay home as much as possible for the next two weeks so our hospitals and our medical teams have the capacity to care for Manitobans when they need it,” said Pallister. “These measures, which are the most stringent public health orders in the country, are necessary to protect and safeguard Manitoba lives. We need the full participation of all Manitobans for these strict public health measures to work so we can bend our COVID curve back down and get back to doing some of the things we love and miss.”
The orders are as follows:
• indoor public gatherings are not permitted and visitors are not permitted on private property, except in certain circumstances.
• requirements for employers to allow employees to work from home as much as possible.
• outdoor gatherings with anyone from outside a household are not allowed and this applies to all recreation spaces including playgrounds, golf courses, parks, and sports fields.
• retail businesses may only operate at 10 percent capacity or 100 customers, whichever is fewer, and only one person per household will be allowed to enter a business, with some exceptions, such as a single parent with children or someone who requires a caregiver.
• increased requirements for malls to manage capacity and access to eliminate gatherings and ensure compliance with shopping.
• many businesses and organizations will remain closed for in-person service, including gyms and fitness clubs, restaurants and bars, personal service businesses, museums, galleries, and libraries.
School divisions which are already closed to in-person will continue that way until at least June 7, including in Winnipeg and Brandon, as well as the Red River Valley and Garden Valley school divisions.
Additionally, the chief provincial public health officer will utilize health-hazard orders to close businesses, if necessary, where there are multiple cases and transmission is a risk.
“We are implementing these new, strengthened public health orders because our health system is facing critical pressures that are not sustainable. Manitoba’s ICU numbers and hospitalizations are extremely high and are still expected to climb in this third wave,” says Dr. Roussin. “The public health orders outline what we need to do. We need to stay home and work from home if possible, and only go out for essential items when absolutely necessary and do not gather with anyone outside your household. We recognize the next few weeks will be tough, but our health system depends on all Manitobans doing their part.”