Manitoba’s Peguis First Nation beginning 2-week lockdown to control COVID-19

A Manitoba First Nation north of Winnipeg is heading into a 14-day lockdown on Monday that includes the strictest measures to control COVID-19 seen in the province since the first wave of the virus.

The lockdown alternates between three-day periods of very strict measures, including an enforced 24-hour curfew where residents are required to stay home.

Those are split up by one-day “relaxed” restrictions, where residents can travel within the First Nation and surrounding area for essential shopping.

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The Fisher/Peguis health district has 115 active cases right now, with a case rate of 1,922/100,000 people.

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That’s more than four times the rate in Winnipeg, which was 460/100,000 as of Sunday morning.

Winnipeg will see the stiffest restrictions in Manitoba outside of Peguis First Nation on Monday when it moves to the red, “critical” level on the province’s pandemic response system.

That level makes dine-in service at restaurants and bars illegal, restricts gym and retail store capacity to 25 per cent, and bans all sport and recreation programming, among other things.

The rest of the province will move to the “restricted” orange level, which makes masks mandatory indoors and reduces group sizes to 10.

The restrictions for the three-day lockdown period include:

• Stay home
• 24-hour curfew implemented at check points
• No travelling within community
• Restricted access at check points
• Reduced staff
• Reduced business hours
• Reduced capacity in businesses
• Closure of all non-essential businesses in the community
• No visiting within community
• Stick to your family “bubble”
• No gatherings
• No visiting with anyone self-isolating

The restrictions for the one-day “relaxed” lockdown include:

• Designate one household shopper for essentials. Members are encouraged to travel no further than Gimli, Riverton, Arborg, Ashern, Fisher Branch for shopping.
• Only travel for essential services allowed
• 9 p.m. – 6 a.m. curfew at check points in effect this day
• No travelling around community
• No visiting

Peguis Public Health says the lockdown is expected to end at midnight on Monday, Nov. 15 — but could be extended at any time.

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