COVID-19 cases continue to spike in and around Brandon, while new cases in much of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are showing signs of decline.
Manitoba announced 33 new cases of the disease Thursday, with 17 of those cases in the health authority covering Brandon, Prairie Mountain Health. Ten new cases were located in Southern Health-Sante Sud, with the remaining six in Winnipeg.
Under the new provincial warning system, Prairie Mountain Health is now considered to have an "orange" rating, meaning increased restrictions. The rating system means that community transmission is still taking place within the region. Group size limits in communities within Prairie Mountain Health, including Brandon and Dauphin, will be cut from 50 people indoors and 100 people outside to a maximum of 10 people in all areas. Masks will be mandatory to wear at indoor and outdoor gatherings, with some exceptions.
Out of Manitoba's 247 active COVID-19 cases, 116 are in Prairie Mountain Health. The change to orange may also mean changes to back-to-school plans within the region.
Within the region, 61 cases have been tied to a Maple Leaf meat processing plant in the Brandon area. The province will soon start testing people close to workers at the plant who have already tested positive, but will not yet test every worker at the plant and their close contacts. Most testing in Manitoba will be made available only to people showing symptoms of COVID-19.
No cases have been reported in northern Manitoba since April 8.
In Saskatchewan, recoveries from COVID-19 outpaced new cases once again Thursday, with four new cases of COVID-19 being met with nine people recovering from the disease. The new cases have been found in south central Saskatchewan, where three people tested positive, along with one case in Saskatoon.
The province has now reported 1,590 cases of COVID-19, including 149 active cases, of which 99 are in Hutterite communites. No active cases remain in far north Saskatchewan.
