Manitoba Public Health announced Thursday, April 16, 2020, that 4 new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the province bringing the total number of lab-confirmed and probable cases to 250 .
The are 8 people currently receiving treatment in hospital including 4 in intensive care.
121 people have recovered from the virus and there are currently 124 active cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba.
The number of deaths remains at five.
Cadham Provincial Laboratory performed 449 tests on Wednesday bringing the toal number of tests performed since early February to 18,349
Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced a number of additional public health orders to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Effective April 17 and continuing to May 1, 2020, travel north of the 53rd parallel is prohibited except for delivery of goods and services or travel required by those required to work in the north, medical treatment or to facilitate child-custody agreements. Residents of northern and remote communities may continue to move within the north.
Anyone coming into Manitoba from outside the province must self-isolate for 14 days. This order includes those who travel to cottages outside the province and return to Manitoba.
Gatherings are still restricted too more than 10 people at any indoor or outdoor premises.
Additional updates include:
- a clarification that businesses not listed as critical may operate, and have customers attend to pick up ordered items, providing social distancing measures are in place;
- a provision to allow farmers markets to operate, providing social distancing measures are in place;
- hotels may operate, but must close common areas such as pools, hot tubs and game rooms;
- campgrounds can provide accommodation to recreational vehicles that act as a primary residence;
- garden centres and greenhouses can operate, providing social distancing measures are in place; and
- appliance, electronic and furniture stores are excluded, and should not be open to the public, except where orders are placed remotely and orders are delivered or picked up with social distancing measures in place.
The following restrictions remain in place as they were with previous orders:
- All restaurants and other commercial facilities are prohibited from serving food to customers in their premises. This prevents eat-in dining at all facilities. However, restaurants and other commercial facilities can prepare and serve food for delivery or takeout. If this takes place, the operator of the restaurant must ensure that all people maintain the appropriate social distancing from other customers when picking up food.
- All businesses that are not listed in the schedule of critical services that accompanies the order must remain closed.
- This closure order does not prevent these businesses from operating on a remote basis.
- A business may accept orders on the internet or over the phone for delivery or pickup, as long as the employees are not working at the place of business.
- The order does not prevent employees or others from coming into the business to perform repairs, to provide security services or to take out items from the business premises if the business is going to operate on a remote basis.
- Nothing in the order restricts the operations of delivery of services by the federal or provincial governments or a municipality.
- Nothing in the order restricts any activities of a publicly funded agency, organization or authority that delivers or supports government operations or services including health-care services. This means the order does not affect institutions, agencies and other service providers offering health-care services such as hospitals, regional health authorities and private agencies that provide a range of health services.
Dr. Roussin said that testing has been expanded to include all symptomatic workers or volunteers at workplaces that have been identified as essential services and any symptomatic person who lives with a health-care worker, first responder or worker in a congregate setting such as a correctional facility, shelter, long-term care or residential facility.
© News4.ca 2020
