On a day when some Manitoba businesses began to open up, no new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the province.
Officials announced over 600 tests were conducted by the province May 3, pushing the total number of tests over 27,000.
There are 37 active cases in Manitoba. One new person has recovered from the disease.
Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin continued to warn Manitobans against a quick return to normal.
“This is a gradual and cautious reopening of the economy, with very stringent restrictions at first,” he said.
“We can’t let our guards down.”
Testing capacity in Manitoba has increased, as the criteria on who is eligible to be tested continues to rise. All symptomatic Manitobans are eligible to be tested. Roussin said it is important for all people with respiratory symptoms to stay home.
“Those experiencing respiratory symptoms cannot go to work, cannot go shopping, need to stay home and be assessed at a health care facility,” he said.
“It’s important that we do not have people who are showing respiratory symptoms in the workplace or other public areas.”
With the return to work for some people, Manitoba has expanded the provincial childcare program. Anyone now working is eligible to apply for day car services at eswchildcare.ca.
Roussin said none of Manitoba’s 281 total cases were reported in an Indigenous community or on-reserve, but didn’t say whether or not anyone Indigenous had been infected.
“That’s their data,” Roussin said.
“Indigenous people are our partners and we would work only in partnership with them before we released any of that data."
Roussin also said that travel restrictions for northern Manitoba will be in place for the foreseeable future
“We’re still at risk of importation of the virus into Manitoba,” he said.
“We’re going to keep those restrictions in place so we can gradually reopen things here, knowing we’re doing everything we can to limit the importation of the virus.”
Roussin outlined why he thinks Manitoba was able to keep cases below his own expectations so far.
“Our geography, our timing, it really allowed us to get ahead of this,” he said.
“Manitobans have put us in a position where we are at the right time to start gradually reopening things, but very cautiously.”
Any Manitoban with symptoms is encouraged to call Health Links - Info Santé at (204) 788-8200 or toll free at 1-888-315-9257) to schedule a test.
