Lynn Lake imposes curfew amidst COVID-19 surge

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Residents of a small northwestern Manitoba town have been under curfew since Friday as the community battles to curb a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Virus cases began to rise steeply last week in Lynn Lake, about 815 km northwest of Winnipeg — with a few dozen last Wednesday spreading to 132 active cases Saturday, according to a community bulletin.

In a town with just 209 households, there are 38 homes under self-isolation orders, Lynn Lake chief administrative officer Tom Matus said Monday.

There has been 90 to 95 per cent compliance with the new curfew, which asks residents to remain in their homes between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., and is in effect until Jan. 31, he said.

The curfew is enforced by the RCMP and a municipal team funded by the provincial government.

“Council made a decision last week when the spikes were occurring… to instate a curfew. We thought that might help if we could get people to voluntarily stay off the streets, it would help stem the spread,” Matus said. “There’s only a handful of people… that might be flouting the curfew.”

The spread — which initially blossomed over the course of around 10 days — seems to have slowed, with only a handful of cases reported over the weekend, Matus said, though official updates on active cases have yet to be released.

There is currently a 16-person task force, initiated by the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner, working with the Lynn Lake Friendship Centre to distribute groceries and mail to those under isolation orders.

The community hospital — site of 11 acute care beds and eight long-term beds — announced an outbreak Saturday, and was moved to critical/red on the province’s pandemic response system.

For now, morale among residents is high, Matus said.

“People understand what must be done and for the most part are complying,” he said.

“Continue to maintain safety measures from the province and comply with the curfew — that will help us bring the numbers down and get back to normal.”

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers