Masks required in daycares as state of emergency extended

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/09/2020 (2021 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A COVID-19 case is discovered at a school. Daily case counts are in the double digits. Masks are mandatory at more places, including day cares for older children. Advisories about public exposure to the virus are routine. Manitobans are riding the next unpredictable wave of the coronavirus.

On Thursday, Manitoba extended the state of emergency under The Emergency Measures Act for another 30 days, and renewed a number of public health orders issued by provincial public health chief Dr. Brent Roussin.

Other orders — such as limiting employees to work at one personal care home to prevent the spread of the virus — were renewed while others, such as the ban on residential evictions — were not.

At a media briefing Thursday, Roussin said 15 new cases of COVID-19 had been identified in Manitoba: nine in Winnipeg, two in Interlake–Eastern Health region, two in Prairie Mountain and two in Southern Health. One case was removed when it was determined to be a duplicate and another when it was found to be from out of province, he said. Manitoba has 360 active cases, with 11 people in hospital, including three in intensive care. So far, 1,002 Manitobans have recovered from the virus.

More cases are expected after two potential exposures to COVID-19 occurred: from Sept. 1-3 at the Lilac Resort on the Trans-Canada Highway near Ste. Anne and the other on a Sept. 5 Air Canada flight No. 295 from Winnipeg to Vancouver, in rows 19 to 25. Passengers who were seated in those rows should self-isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms, said Roussin. Others seated elsewhere on the plane need to self-monitor for symptoms, he said.

Not mentioned at the press conference was news that children aged nine and older who go to child-care facilities, including home-based child care, must wear a non-medical mask. The rule came into effect Sept. 8 and says child-care providers are also required to wear masks.

The order has caused some confusion for child-care providers, said Jodie Kehl, executive director at the Manitoba Child Care Association.

"There are a lot of unknowns," said Kehl who was writing a letter Thursday to ask the Families department to spell out the rules for mask use in day cares. "Do we have to wear them outside? Do we have to wear them inside if we can maintain six feet of separation?" she asked.

A circular provided by the province says it is the parent’s responsibility to provide at least two masks a day, but Kehl said more information is needed, including whether the province will supply PPE to child-care programs if parents aren’t able to. "They’ve continued to incur increasing operating expenses," she said of child-care centres.

Starting Friday, COVID-19 cases in Winnipeg will be identified in 12 districts. Health Minister Cameron Friesen said at Thursday’s media briefing that the geographical breakdown will be available on the province’s online COVID-19 dashboard.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca