Manitoba announces seven new cases of COVID-19

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The province announced seven new cases of COVID-19 Monday morning, bringing Manitoba’s total number of positive and probable positive cases to 442.

One of the province’s active cases works in the Steinbach branch of Steinbach Credit Union. In a Facebook post Monday morning, the bank said they’d learned of the employee’s test results Saturday. The staff member had worked their last shift July 27. They’re now self-isolating, as are others who have been in close contact with them.

“We immediately contacted Manitoba Health and are following their guidelines and protocols,” Steinbach Credit Union’s Facebook post reads. “Our thoughts are with this individual and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

The Steinbach branch is currently being sanitized, the post says. It will be open for business Tuesday morning.

The announcement comes on the heels of two restaurants in Steinbach temporarily closing. The local Boston Pizza and Smitty’s closed over the weekend; both had a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. Boston Pizza closed Saturday. Its website says it will remain closed until Tuesday.

Smitty’s in Steinbach doesn’t have a set reopening date yet, president Jim Weidinger said in an email Sunday.

The employee, a female server under 25 years old, worked her last shift July 27. Her mother had displayed COVID-19 symptoms and went to get tested; the server went into self-isolation as her family awaited the mother’s results. The results came back positive, so the server went for a test, too. She, also, got a positive result — she’s asymptomatic — and is now in self-isolation. Employees at Smitty’s in Steinbach have been directed to get tested, Weidinger said.

“We take the safety of our team and guests very seriously and will continue to manage in accordance with the strictest of guidelines,” he said in his email.

Smitty’s will have a professional deep clean and disinfection Tuesday. The restaurant has already taken measures to prevent a virus spread, and they’ll continue to do so, Weidinger said. Measures include monitoring employees’ temperatures, disinfecting high touch areas and ensuring all staff wear masks.

Bigg Smoak BBQ, Sawney Beans and Steinbach’s Canadian Tire have also closed down, but there haven’t been reports of COVID-19 among staff, Global News reported Monday.

Earl Funk, the mayor of Steinbach, said on Sunday that businesses are responding to the positive cases the right way.

“I would like to applaud the business owners for acting responsibly at this time,” Funk said. “I really respect their decision to close, and I think they’ve done the right thing until they know also.”

Funk didn’t have any more information to provide about cases in Steinbach, but he said he trusted that public health officials were doing their jobs to track any outbreak.

“Wait for Manitoba Health — they’ll take care of it,” Funk said. “They’ll let us know the risk.”

There were 18 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday, the highest single-day increase in cases since April 2, when there were 40 announced. The spike in cases comes after a 13-day streak at the beginning of July of no new cases. On July 13, there was only one active case recorded in the province.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca