Good news appears to be no news with northern Manitoba. No new cases within the region were reported during an April 18 briefing, making it more than 10 days without any new cases within the Northern Health Region (NHR).
The number of northern cases of COVID-19 remains at three, with the last positive case of COVID-19 within the NHR announced April 8. No deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in northern Manitoba. All three cases within the region were confirmed as positive.
Three new cases were reported in Manitoba April 18, bringing the number of overall positive COVID-19 cases in Manitoba to 253. The province now has a significant gulf between active cases and recovered cases. As of April 18, 140 Manitobans who had tested positive for the disease had recovered. In comparison, 108 people in Manitoba are deemed to have still have the disease.
Five Manitobans have died from the disease since the outbreak began. More than 19,000 tests have been performed province-wide, with another 340 tests processed at Winnipeg's Cadham Provincial Laboratory.
Almost no new information about northern travel restrictions were given during the April 18 update. On April 16, provincial health officials announced restrictions for travel into northern communities as of April 17, offering few details at the time on what such restrictions may look like.
According to the provincial government's State of Emergency order website, travel to northern Manitoba and remote communities not connected by the provincial road system by year-round roads has been restricted until May 1. The restriction does not apply to northerners currently in southern Manitoba needing to return home, people travelling into the north to provide medical services, to work in essential services or for work involving legal proceedings.
Northern Manitoba residents will be able to travel within the north during the restrictions. Anyone travelling into Manitoba from another province is asked to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival - that order does not apply to people living in Saskatchewan communities like Creighton or Denare Beach that are either located on or near the provincial border or that may rely on Manitoba-based services.
The Reminder reached out to Shared Health Manitoba with a list of questions on northern travel restrictions when they were first announced April 16. Shared Health has not issued a response or comment as of April 18.
