Most travel to northern Manitoba will be restricted April 17 after a new decree from the provincial government.
The new rules, mentioned for the first time in an April 16 media briefing on Manitoba COVID-19 cases, will mean most Manitobans will be unable to travel north of the 53rd parallel in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 to remote areas.
Northern residents will be allowed to travel within the north under the new restriction, as well as travel south and return for vital reasons such as medical treatment. Delivery of goods and services and people entering the north for essential reasons, such as for work, medical treatment or to facilitate child custody agreements will be allowed.
Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin confirmed residents of the north would be allowed to travel outside the region and back home for essential purposes, but discouraged any kind of unnecessary travel.
“We see that the ongoing risk is reimportation of this virus. We’re putting up measures to do what we can to limit the importation of the virus in our province,” he said.
“We’re now in the planning stage to see how we can start lifting some of these measures. We’re putting up these travel bans so if we do move to start lifting it, we have everything in place to prevent the importation of the virus as well as the ability to prevent taking that virus to communities where the spread would be quite risky.”
Roussin said the public order is in effect until May 1.
The Reminder asked Roussin during a March 26 briefing if the province had plans to introduce travel restrictions within Manitoba. Roussin said the option was not in the works. Three weeks later, the travel restriction was announced.
“Within the province right now, there’s no reason for us to limit intraprovincial travel with the exception of remote, isolated communities and what First Nations are recommending,” he said in March.
The Reminder is awaiting further information on northern travel restrictions, including how the measures will be enforced. Roussin speculated that checkpoints similar to those along southern portions of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border could be put in place on Highway 6, but did not confirm what the exact plan would be.
“Northern residents are always allowed to return home,” Roussin said.
“It’s the restriction of travel to the north, not a restriction of travel within the north.”
Roussin also announced four new cases have been detected within Manitoba and the province is tracking 124 active cases. As of April 16, 250 Manitobans have tested positive for the disease.
