Manitoba’s social distancing efforts are helping keep new COVID-19 cases low, but restrictions on gatherings will last for the next few months.
Provincial chief health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced two new cases of the disease at a April 22 briefing. Officials have been cautiously optimistic about loosening some restrictions, but cautioned some health orders will remain in place for a long time.
“There will be a new normal for the foreseeable future,” he said.
“We need to continue our social distancing strategies, although we are going to ease some of the restrictions. Manitobans will be dealing with this virus for the foreseeable future.”
Twenty-five of the 257 Manitobans diagnosed with COVID-19 are health care workers. Chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa confirmed none of the health care workers who have tested positive for the virus work in the Northern Health Region.
Roussin said health officials are unable to link 13 per cent of COVID-19 cases to travel or a known case.
Non-essential travel from to northern Manitoba is still not allowed by provincial order. On April 21, Roussin said travel restrictions will probably remain in place after their scheduled expiry on May 1.
“We know we need to get the economy moving as soon as we can, but we have to do it in a cautious way,” he said.
“We need to monitor our numbers, as we do that… It will be a look at some of the non-essential businesses that have been closed at this point, with restrictions to ensure that we’re limiting the impact.”
Roussin said health officials are working closely with remote work camps in the north to ensure they are keeping the risk of spread low. The response came after a letter from Churchill-Keewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashton, who said new staff from outside the north were scheduled to arrive at Manitoba Hydro's Keeyask generating station
“The process that’s in place we feel is adequate to prevent the risk,” he said.
“We’ll keep monitoring the situation as it goes.”
Roussin said the province currently plans on allowing some non-essential businesses to open, then assessing the impacts of the new policy. Details on the potential loosening will come next week.
Earlier in the day, Premier Brian Pallister announced portions of the provincial government's plan to help small businesses through the outbreak. He said the province will be making a forgivable $6,000 loan available to any business affected, saying the program was “the most generous in Canada.”
According to a provincial press release, the loan would need to be repaid if the business received funds from a similar federal program.
Pallister claimed Manitoba had the most debt of any province in Canada, but according to Canada-wide numbers compiled by RBC, Quebec and Ontario will have higher debt-per-capita in 2020/21.
“It’s not enough. I wish we could do more,” Pallister said of the program.
Pallister cautioned against opening up too quickly, comparing Manitoba’s efforts to Singapore.
“[Singapore] was very effective in early days, they relaxed their restrictions, and then boom - massive up-spike in COVID-19 cases, and subsequently in health problems and deaths,” he said.
“The private and public sector is telling us we need to move forward, we deserve to move forward and we have to do it thoughtfully and carefully so we don’t have a rebound effect.”
Roussin said large group gatherings would likely be banned by the province for at least the next few months.
