COVID-19: Only a few members will remain in Manitoba legislature for rest of session

More of Manitoba’s politicians will be working from home after the province tightened public health orders last week.

A joint statement from the house leaders of the governing Progressive Conservatives, the NDP and the Manitoba Liberal Party says that for the remainder of the legislature session, only a few members will actually be present.

The statement says just four government members, two opposition members and the Speaker will be in the chamber.

It says the vast majority of MLAs will participate virtually.

0:44 Manitoba health official explains province’s stricter health measures

Participation in ongoing estimates hearings will be entirely virtual, with the exception of committee chairs.

The statement says the change is “being made in line with the revised public health orders, which require employers to ensure staff work from home wherever possible.”

“It is important in these difficult times that we all do our part to follow public health orders to protect Manitobans from the third wave,” the statement, issued Sunday afternoon, said.

It was attributed to Kelvin Goertzen of the Progressive Conservatives, Nahanni Fontaine of the NDP and Jon Gerrard of the Liberals.

Manitoba reported 303 additional COVID-19 cases and one new death on Monday.

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, visit our coronavirus page.