Key sentence:
- The Manitoba government is implementing new public health measures to raise COVID-19 cases around the province.
- A service’s overall capacity cannot exceed 25% of the facility’s capacity, up to a maximum of 250 people.
- Roussin also issued a second new public health order that covers the entire province of Manitoba.
The Manitoba government is enforcing new public health measures to increase COVID-19 cases across the province.
The announcement was made during a Friday news conference by Dr Brent Roussin and Health Minister Audrey Gordon.
The restrictions, according to Roussin, include limiting religious gatherings in the Southern Health Region to 25 individuals unless the facility can split the space into distinct regions, in which case numerous cohorts of 25 persons can be present.
A service’s overall capacity cannot exceed 25% of the facility’s capacity, up to a maximum of 250 people. This rule applies to services where proof of immunisation is not required.
“Those cohorts have to be kept apart,” he explained.
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“They are not to mix in any way.” Distancing rules apply, and they must wear masks at all times.”
The municipalities that had previously stated that they would be handled similarly to the Winnipeg capital region are exempt from this directive, according to Roussin. Cartier, Headingley, Macdonald, Niverville-Ritchot, St. Francois Xavier, and Tache are among these areas.
He noted that religious services restricted to fully inoculated individuals, including those under the age of 12 who are ineligible for the vaccine, can still be held in Southern Health without capacity constraints.
According to Gordon, law enforcement officers will conduct inspections of religious facilities.
“They will be checked unannounced and frequently while this public health order is in existence,” she explained.
Saturday at 12:01 a.m., the order will be into effect.
RECREATION SPORTS ARE THE FOCUS OF A NEW ORDER.
Roussin also issued a second new public health order that covers the entire province of Manitoba.
To participate in indoor recreational sports, Manitobans aged 12 to 17 will need to produce proof of at least one immunisation or a recent negative test, he said.
Roussin noted that there will be a grace period until December 5 to provide people enough time to make judgments with this decree. The order will go into force on December 6 at 12:01 a.m.
“This will allow people who haven’t been fully inoculated or who haven’t been immunised to comply,” he said.
“This will be in effect throughout the province.”
Negative tests must come from participating pharmacies, not from publicly maintained testing facilities, according to Roussin. In addition, unvaccinated children must have a negative test within 72 hours before participating in indoor recreational activities, according to him.
Overnight camps, he pointed out, are classified as indoor recreation establishments.
“With evidence of vaccine needs and not excluding the vaccinated, these restrictions are about as far as we can go right now,” Roussin added.
“We want to push it as far as we possibly can.” The vast majority of Manitobans have gone to great lengths to follow public health recommendations. They went out and were vaccinated by public health orders.”
Gordon stated that she and other health officials review data and statistics regularly and that they may provide another public health report “as soon as next week.”
“It’s not going to be that we extend these orders for two or three weeks and people wipe their brows and say, ‘Oh nice, I have two or three weeks to not comply,'” she explained.
“Depending on what the figures reflect, changes could happen at any time.”
Roussin noted that if the new limitations are not implemented, modelling data indicates that numbers will continue to rise through December, increasing hospital and ICU admissions.
On the pandemic response system, Manitoba is still at level orange, with schools at level yellow. The rest of the health orders haven’t changed.
Source: CTV News
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