The Manitoba government has unveiled its coronavirus pandemic response plan, an online tool that will give Manitobans “clear, timely, and more detailed and localized” information about the current risks posed by the virus — and what’s being done about it across the province.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister also announced face masks will be made mandatory for all students in Grades 4 through 12 when classes resume in September as 15 new cases and one new death were reported Wednesday.
The new response plan, which went live on the province’s website Wednesday, uses a four colour-coded system showing risk level and resulting restrictions.
Manitoba is currently at the caution level — a yellow triangle — health officials said.
That means community transmission is occurring, but at low levels. Orange, the next higher risk level — considered restricted — means more community transmission is occurring, while the critical red level indicates community spread isn’t contained and the health system is strained.
Green is the lowest level and indicates the lowest risk, with the virus broadly contained and a vaccine or effective treatment available.
“Keeping Manitobans safe is our government’s top priority in these uncertain times,” said Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister in a government release.
“Equipping Manitobans with the information they need to stay safe while restarting our economy will help ensure we are better prepared to navigate through the COVID challenges ahead. That is what our new Pandemic Response System is designed to do.”
A 75-page report on the plan released Wednesday outlines the range of response measures that may be taken under each threat level, and lays out specific situations that may lead health officials to dial the threat level up or down.
Health officials said there isn’t one single indicator that would move the province from one scenario to another and result in tightened restrictions, explaining it’s a mix of positive test results, case numbers and the health system’s capacity.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public officer of health, said the risk ratings can also be applied to individual businesses or facilities, regions or communities — not just on a province-wide basis.
That will allow targeted measures focused on containing outbreaks by localized site, region or sector as needed, Roussin said.
The province said the system is the first of its kind in Canada and public health officials will make decisions based on a series of COVID-19 indicators including health system capacity, public health capacity, risk of outbreaks in vulnerable settings.
“We must learn to live with this virus, and be prepared to both respond and adapt to changes in the transmission risks COVID-19 presents,” said Roussin in a government release.
“The Pandemic Response System is a key preparedness tool setting out what Manitobans must do, at each response level, to help reduce risks and minimize the spread of this virus.”
Face masks in schools
The premier’s announcement that face masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4-12 and staff came as a surprise at a press conference held Wednesday to announce the new pandemic response plan.
The province had previously said masks would be “strongly recommended” but not mandatory for students and staff.
Pallister said he had heard from thousands of Manitoba parents about masks in schools, and decided to make them mandatory.
However, some provisions will need to be made for students who can’t wear a mask for a medical reason, he added.
“Out of an abundance of caution and having listened with great interest to the input of literally thousands and thousands of Manitobans, we will be requiring mandatory use of masks in schools in Grades 4 through 12, where physical distancing of two metres is not possible,” Pallister said.
“Mask use has already been strongly recommended — in our family when the doctor made those recommendations, they were always followed — but we want to be clear that when these doctors recommendations are implemented in our school system, they will be followed.”
Schools will reopen across the province on Sept. 8 — with teachers and staff returning Sept. 2 to get ready.
The province has previously said younger students can also use non-medical masks if they or their parents or caregivers choose, but masks should not be worn by anyone who is unable to remove them without help or by anyone with breathing difficulties.
Under the province’s originally announced plans all students Grade 4 and up, and bus drivers, are required to wear masks on school buses. The bus plans were changed Wednesday to include students in Grade 4 and up.
The province has said it will provide masks as well as other personal protective equipment to school divisions to handout to students and staff.
School divisions across the province started releasing details of their back-to-school plans this week.
Roussin said Wednesday he may make masks mandatory in other indoor areas in the future.
In the meantime Roussin reiterated the need for Manitobans to practice public health fundamentals, including staying home when sick, regular hand washing, physical distancing, and wearing masks in public indoor settings where physical distancing is not possible.
Increasing case counts
Manitoba has seen a jump in cases lately, including the 15 new cases and one death reported Wednesday.
The latest death, a man in his 60s from the Grey health district in the Southern Health region, bring Manitoba’s total to 12 deaths attributed to the coronavirus crisis since March.
The new cases reported Wednesday bring the province’s total number of lab-confirmed and probable cases reported since March to 763.
As of Wednesday, Manitoba had six people hospitalized, with two in intensive care, while 528 people have recovered, leaving 223 active cases.
The increasing case counts come after Manitoba went nearly two weeks without reporting a single case through the first half of July.
The province’s 13-day streak of no cases ended July 14 when five cases were reported and Manitoba’s total case count rose to 330.
Since then Manitoba’s total case count has risen by 433 additional new cases, and Roussin has said there’s evidence of community transmission.
On Wednesday health officials said there are multiple and isolated clusters of cases across the province, but they are mostly contained.
In early May, the province started a phased approach to easing public health restrictions put in place to stem the virus’s spread.
The loosened rules have seen the reopening of businesses including restaurants, bars and shopping centres with restrictions, and most recently saw movie theatres and casinos allowed to reopen at a reduced capacity in late July.
Health officials have also lifted 14-day self-isolation orders for those arriving in Manitoba from western provinces and parts of northern Ontario.
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.
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