The Manitoba government may lift some restrictions next week - and this time, the north is being included.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and provincial chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced a new round of restriction changes will go into effect Feb. 12. The proposals include another online consultation process, similar to the one done before the last round of changes last month.
This time, the provincial government will include the north in possible restriction changes. Some proposed changes include bringing the whole province - including northern Manitoba - under one set of restrictions. Those changes may include lifting restrictions on household visits and gatherings, allowing up to two designated people inside and five additional people for outdoor gatherings on private property.
Northern retail stores may soon be able to open at 25 per cent capacity or a cap of 250 people - whichever is lower - pending rule changes, along with opening hair salons, barbershops and non-regulated health services at 25 per cent capacity.
The changes are not currently in effect and, if approved, will be instituted Feb. 12.
Other changes being suggested for across Manitoba are allowing food services - including restaurants, lounges and pubs - to reopen for in-person service at up to 25 per cent capacity until 10 p.m., allowing some personal services like nail salons and tattoo parlors to reopen at 25 per cent capacity with physical distanding and personal protection measures and allowing gyms to reopen - once again, up to 25 per cent capacity for one-on-one and individual training sessions without group classes.
Places of worship could soon be able to reopen for up to 50 people or 10 per cent capacity, whichever is lower. Libraries could also soon reopen at up to 25 per cent capacity, with organized outdoor sports able to resume for games and practices but not for multi-team tournaments. Addictions treatment and support groups may also operate, provided social distancing is followed.
Maximum capacity for weddings could soon increase to as many as 10 people, as well as an officiant and a photographer - and speaking of photographers, they may soon be able to resume work outdoors and in studios, with the latter limited to patron groups of only household members.
Resuming film industry work in Manitoba is also on the table, provided all workers follow safety protocols, and public washrooms may also soon reopen at up to 25 per cent capacity.
The restriction changes come after a second set of changes last month, done with minimal impact to new case loads in southern Manitoba communities. Those changes did not go into effect in northern Manitoba, with the province citing high case counts and risk of transmission in several northern regions as the reason for the change.
"Right now, we're in a much more stable place than we were, certainly in November and December. We are not seeing evidence in a spike in numbers related to the last set of cautious reopenings. Our numbers have been steady and trending in the right direction overall," said Roussin.
"Given this current situation, the trend in the right direction, the province is considering the following changes for all of Manitoba," added the doctor, emphasizing the "all" before going through a list of considered changes.
The Premier emphasized that reopenings throughout the province will be done gradually to prevent any future shutdowns - what the province has dubbed a "yo-yo" reopening."When Manitoba's COVID-19 cases continue to trend in the right direction, that is good news, but I have to warn Manitobans that we're not out of the woods yet," said Pallister.
"The risks of new COVID-19 variants. The risks of vaccine shortages and delays are real. The risks of reopening too quickly are also real. We must and we will proceed with caution to ensure we can protect and safeguard Manitoba lives."
The latest restrictions survey can be found at engagemb.ca.
