Manitoba has seen only four new cases of COVID-19, following a day when there were none.
There were no new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba as of Easter Sunday. A probable case was determined to be a false positive, so the case count stands at 246.
Eight people are hospitalized, four in ICU. Four people have died and 99 have recovered.
Cadham Provincial Laboratory performed 32 tests Sunday. A total of 17,245 tests have been performed since early February.
Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s top doc, says non-essential businesses are ordered to stay closed until April 28 under the Public Health Act.
Roussin reminded Manitobans that the closure order does not prevent businesses from operating on a remote basis.
A business can accept orders online, on the phone for delivery or pickup, so long as employees are not working out of the storefront, he added.
The closure orders were set to expire Tuesday.
Dr. Roussin said the low numbers of new cases should not be taken as an indication that it’s safe to no longer practise social distancing.
It’s important to keep flattening the curve, said Roussin.
“If we lift now, we could see these measures reverse and increasing numbers again,” he said.
“If we double our efforts now, we could in the future relax some of these measures.”
Roussin hinted at potentially adding additional restrictions this week which could, depending on COVID-19 numbers, allow restrictions to be loosened within weeks. He also says while physical or social distancing strategies could be in place for the foreseeable future, he doesn’t expect the current degree of social distancing to be in place until the summer.
“It will be a very gradual rollback of the restrictions, and that would usually start with a rollback on the restrictions of businesses,” Roussin said. “So we would look at that and look to gradually roll things back while very cautiously watching our numbers.”
While testing won’t open up to everyone with respiratory symptoms immediately, it is being considered, said Dr. Roussin.
Winnipeg had community ambassadors out talking to people about social distancing over the weekend, said Roussin, but added he was unaware of any fines handed out.
The community testing site in Brandon is moving to a new drive-thru location. Starting Tuesday afternoon, the site will be located at the Brandon Town Centre.
Regular hours for the relocated Brandon site will resume Wednesday, operating daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
Comments