Starting today, the province has issued some updated public health orders to curb the spread of COVID-19. According to Public Health, Manitoba is in the early stages of a third wave. Although daily case counts are not yet out of control in this province, they have reached crisis points elsewhere across Canada.

For the last couple of months, indoor visitation rules has allowed for households to designate another household to form an exclusive bubble. That option is no longer available to Manitobans. Going forward, households are instead allowed a maximum of two designated visitors.

Last month, the province had expanded outdoor gathering sizes to 25. That number is being rolled back to 10. This rule applies to both public property and private property.

Weddings and funerals will have their attendance capped at 10 as well, in addition to an officiant and a photographer.

Faith-based gatherings are now limited to 25 percent capacity, or 50 people, whichever number is lower. People in these services are advised to wear a mask while indoors.

And finally, retail stores are seeing their capacity lowered from 50 percent to 33 percent, or one-third capacity.

“We have been carefully monitoring our numbers and epidemiology and are seeing a concerning trend in case numbers and test positivity rates, particularly in the aftermath of spring break and the Easter and Passover holidays,” says Dr. Brent Roussin. “The fundamentals continue to be paramount in stopping the spread of this deadly virus. Manitobans need to continue to stay home as much as possible and significantly limiting close contacts. If you do need to leave the house, ensure you are taking measures to keep yourself and others safe including frequent handwashing, staying home when sick, covering your cough and wearing a mask, even outdoors, and seek immediate testing even when you experience mild symptoms.”

These orders will remain in effect until Wednesday, May 12.