New pandemic precautions tighten Manitoba travel

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This article was published 16/04/2020 (2226 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A day after new legislation gave him more power, Manitoba’s chief public health officer banned most travel to the north and ordered a 14-day self-isolation for most people entering the province, while offering a glimmer of good news about farmers  markets and garden centres.

The new rules prohibiting travel to the north and imposing two weeks of self-isolation for anyone returning to Manitoba take effect Friday and last until May 1, Dr. Brent Roussin said Thursday.

“These measures and our continued public health efforts are being put in place to set us up for the hopeful time when we can start relaxing some of these public health measures,” he said.

With few new cases of COVID-19 reported in recent days — just four on Thursday — the plan is to prevent the virus from being brought into Manitoba and spread to communities, especially the most vulnerable north of the 53rd parallel (near Grand Rapids), Roussin said.

“We’ve seen about 56 per cent of current cases directly related to travel,” he said, noting that figure included both international and interprovincial trips. “Right now at this stage in our outbreak, we see that the ongoing risk is re-importation of this virus, so we’re putting up measures to do what we can to limit it.”

On Wednesday, a bill was passed amending the Public Health Act that allowed Roussin to issue orders to prohibit or restrict people from travelling to and from specified areas in Manitoba, and to take certain precautions to prevent the spread of a communicable disease.

Northern residents can continue to travel within the region, and the delivery of goods and services may continue, Roussin said.

“This will help protect the region where the spread of the virus could significantly affect the health of the population,” he said. 

The order for those entering Manitoba to self-isolate for 14 days excludes workers involved with the commercial transportation of goods and services, workers who live in a neighbouring jurisdiction and travel to Manitoba for work, health-care workers who travel to work from outside the province and normal personal travel in border communities.

Roussin did not provide details of how the new orders would be enforced, but said the informational checkpoints set up at Manitoba’s borders may provide more instructions, and there could be a checkpoint set up on Highway 6 that runs north of the 53rd parallel. 

Softening the blow of some of the harsh new measures, Roussin had some good news for winter-weary Manitobans.

Farmers markets, garden centres and greenhouses can operate as long as social-distancing measures are in place, Roussin said.

“We want Manitobans to be able to spend time in their yards,” said Roussin, noting that gardening allows people to be active and still do social distancing.

And big-box stores such as Walmart and Superstore are allowed to remain open because they’re considered critical businesses that offer seasonal garden centres, he said.

Businesses not listed as critical may operate and have customers pick up ordered items as long as social-distancing measures are in place, he said. The rule about having gatherings of no more than 10 people at indoor or outdoor premises remains in effect for now. 

“The real goal is to be able to roll back some of these measures,” Roussin said. 

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca