Although the province loosened public health restrictions further Saturday, an epidemiologist warns COVID-19’s risk remains in Manitoba.
The province put out its fourth reopening phase draft plan Tuesday.
Initially, that proposal included plans to increase the limit on public gatherings, lift the 14-day self-isolation requirement for travellers arriving from eastern Canada and to allow walk-up service at bars, distilleries and brewpubs, all of which are now off the table after the province received roughly 24,300 responses to its survey on the proposal.
“Within every stage and phase and policy being contemplated, there’s really no risk-free options,” said Cynthia Carr, an EPI Research Inc. epidemiologist and principal. “There could be risk to the economy, to society — people being lonely and not connected — then, of course, the public health consequences.
“Our premier and (Dr. Brent Roussin) are saying they feel confident moving toward some of this reopening, but we all have to be vigilant and make decisions that are best for each of us individually while following the rules.”
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That includes still minding the public health protocols that have become commonplace amid the pandemic — frequent handwashing, physical distancing, remaining home when ill and isolating after travel or exposure — despite the loosened restrictions.
“Do your own risk assessment. Do you have any risk factors for poor health outcome or are you in contact with friends or a family member who may have risk?” Carr said.
“The risk factors for spread remain the same, the people at highest risk for poor health outcomes remain the same, so make your own decisions wisely and keeping in mind all that you have learned. Those things haven’t changed.”
Carr warned of the potential for exponential increases in COVID-19 infections if protocols aren’t followed during the reopening — or an exponential decrease if the protocols are followed.
“We’re not going to stop the spread until we keep that reproduction rate low,” she said.
She compared a reproduction rate of two — one person spreading the virus to two people — to a reproduction rate of 0.7 over 40 days as an example.
“You can have 17 cases or you can have 3,200 cases — it all depends on us working together to stop that spread from person A to person B.”
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. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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