Health officials say there are no new cases of COVID-19 to report as of Monday.
That means Manitoba’s count of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases remains at 292, with 17 active cases.
There were also no patients in the hospital or intensive care with COVID-19, health officials said.
A total of 268 individuals have recovered and the number of deaths due to COVID-19 remained at seven, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin said.
Roussin said Monday the last two cases of COVID-19 reported in Manitoba Friday are connected to a Walmart employee who tested positive after working at the Southdale location May 9.
But he said those cases reported Friday– a boy under ten, and a woman in her 30s, both from Winnipeg — are not considered to be cases of community transmission, but are instead “linked to a known case.”
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News of another day with no new cases comes as the province gets ready to begin its second phase of reopening and a few days after limits on gathering sizes were increased to allow 25 people indoors and up to 50 people outdoors.
Last week Manitoba unveiled its draft plan for the province’s second phase of reopening, which will see a number changes including public swimming pools, splash pads, and fitness facilities allowed to open with limitations, as well as restaurants and bars opening at 50 per cent capacity indoors.
Roussin said he expects more information — including a specific date — on when the second phase of reopening will begin to come later this week.
In the meantime he reiterated the importance of staying vigilant against the virus despite the moves being made to reopen Manitoba’s economy amid the outbreak.
“Our numbers in Manitoba continue to look favourable,” he said.
“As we gradually … continue to reopen in Manitoba it’s certainly not a return to normal, it’s a return to our new normal — we still need to be aware of this virus and we need to be aware physical distancing whenever possible.”
While the province hasn’t yet said when the easing of restrictions will begin, in the past, Phase 2 was scheduled for possible implementation on June 1.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said last week health officials will watch the province’s numbers before making the decision.
As well as unveiling plans to further loosen public health restrictions, health officials announced last week testing has also been opened up to asymptomatic people, meaning those without symptoms can present themselves to testing sites to be screened for the virus.
On Monday Rossin said 343 lab tests were performed Sunday bringing the total number of tests for COVID-19 performed in Manitoba since early February to 38,962.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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.
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