Provincial and regional health officials have issued a plan to snuff out COVID-19 in the north - including tight restrictions on group activities, mask use and in-school classes.
With a rise in northern cases, new rules and restrictions went into effect in northern Manitoba and Churchill Oct. 26.
The restrictions, announced by the provincial government, will be similar to those announced for the Winnipeg region and will be in effect for a minimum of two weeks.
Gathering sizes will be reduced to a maximum of five people, including weddings, funerals and banquets/receptions, dinners and house parties, where only five people will be able to come to another household. Exceptions to the five-person rule include places were the number of attendees doesn't exceed 30 per cent capacity, if the gathering is in a location that is physically divided into spaces that hold no more than five people or if people are prevented from being in close proximity to each other when entering, leaving or meeting inside.
Masks will need to be worn in all indoor public places. People are advised to stay home when sick, practice social distancing, wash and/or sanitize hands frequently and follow public health guidelines.
Casinos, bingo halls, and some licensed facilities will be closed unless those facilities can provide service for food pickup and delivery. Other businesses, including retail businesses and restaurants, will be limited to 50 per cent capacity at maximum and personal service businesses will be limited to either 50 per cent or one person for every 10 square metres inside the business - whichever is less.
All restaurants, museums, theatres, libraries, concert venues, gyms or similar businesses and areas will need to keep contact information for all attendees and keep them for at least three weeks to allow for easier and more thorough contact tracing.
The region is the third region in Manitoba to have such restrictions imposed, following similar situations in Prairie Mountain Health and in Winnipeg earlier in the pandemic.
Due in part to the rise in exposures, new rules for school operations have been announced by the provincial government. The rules will be in effect, starting Oct. 26, for schools in the north and in Winnipeg. The school will now fall under a modified "orange" level under the provincial pandemic response system.
With the new rules, schools must have two metres of social distancing as often as practically possible and adjust classrooms accordingly, remove excess furniture to add more space and some spaces like common areas or libraries will need to be changed to allow for distancing. Extracurricular activites will only be allowed by the province if schools follow all learning and distancing rules, with any field trips cancelled or postponed. Teachers and staff who work with multiple student cohorts will need to wear medical masks - the province has said it will supply medical masks to schools and teachers.
Indoor choir programs and music programs involving wind instruments will not be allowed, as per the new provincial rules. Remote learning options may be created for Kindergarten to Grade 8 students while the orange level is in effect.
The Flin Flon School Division issued a statement on the new changes Oct. 22, sending a letter home to parents and staff detailing what the changes could mean for students.
“There has been minimal school-level transmission among the K–12 schools with confirmed cases. Cohorts and other public health measures have been effective in mitigating the risk of transmission and informing contact tracing. Schools and administrators have implemented public health measures consistently and have handled confirmed cases in schools with responsiveness, confidence, and a great deal of professionalism,” reads the letter, addressed from FFSD superintendent Tammy Ballantyne.
The letter confirms that the FFSD will offer blended learning - a mixture of in-class learning and online courses - for high school students who choose to do so for courses where two metres of distancing cannot be applied. In addition, students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 may be offered a remote learning course during the two-week restricted period.
“You will note that the biggest change in this plan involves offering remote learning on a temporary basis, at this time for two weeks, for those families who opt to have their children at home in Kindergarten through Grade 8. In-person learning at the schools will continue,” reads the letter.
“We know, as of right now [Oct. 22], that there are no confirmed cases within our community. Public Health has moved us into Level Orange as a preventative measure to prevent widespread community transmission.”
