As travel begins to reopen amid COVID-19, the Manitoba government is opening a testing site for the virus at the province’s largest airport.
A COVID-19 testing site is now available for in-bound travellers on the arrivals level of Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport’s main terminal, the province said Tuesday.
“As international travel reopens in the weeks ahead, we are making sure individuals arriving in Manitoba are able to get a COVID-19 test quickly and conveniently,” said Central Services Minister Reg Helwer in a release.
“By offering this service in advance of an increased number of visitors entering the province, we are ensuring we keep Manitobans safe and healthy.”
The testing site, which opened Monday, will be in operation from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and test results will be posted securely on a provincial website. Non-residents of Manitoba or those without a Manitoba health card will also be able to access test results by calling 1-888-315-9257.
On Monday the federal government announced American citizens and permanent residents who want to come to Canada for non-essential reasons and who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to do so starting on Aug. 9.
Fully vaccinated travellers from other countries will be allowed to come as of Sept. 7.
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The move to possibly start welcoming international travellers back to Manitoba comes as health officials reported another relatively low list of new cases Tuesday.
Across the province, 36 new infections were identified as of Tuesday morning, but four previously announced cases were removed for a new net total of 32.
Thirteen of the new cases were found in Winnipeg, 11 were reported in the Southern Health region, five came from the Interlake-Eastern Health region, four were found in the Northern Health region, and three were reported in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
No new deaths connected with the virus were reported.
As of Tuesday, the five-day test positivity rate is 3.6 per cent provincially and 3.2 per cent in Winnipeg.
Health data shows there are 909 active cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, including 602 confirmed to be variants of concern.
There are currently 108 Manitobans in hospital as a result of the virus, including 29 in ICU.
Officials say a previously declared outbreak at Salem Home personal care home in Winkler has ended.
Since March 2020, 1,165 Manitobans with COVID-19 have died and the province has recorded 57,236 cases.
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.
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