Premier Brian Pallister announced on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, that the province has designed a new Pandemic Response System online tool that will provide more detailed localized information about the current risk of COVID-19 and the measures being taken to reduce its spread.

Public health will be able to use the new tool to provide information about localized pandemic containment measures or changes to specific locations, regions or sectors across the province.

“Equipping Manitobans with the information they need to stay safe while restarting our economy will help ensure we are better prepared to navigate through the COVID challenges ahead. That is what our new Pandemic Response System is designed to do,” said Pallister.

The new tool will allow public health the ability to target measures focused on containing any outbreaks without having to apply provincewide restrictions.

A four colour response code has been established to give Manitobans an indication of the state of COVID-19 across the province at all times.

The four colour-coded response levels are: 

• RED critical – community spread of COVID-19 is not contained and/or there are significant strains on the health-care system;
• ORANGE restricted – community transmission of COVID-19 is occurring, public health measures are being taken to manage the negative impact on human health and/or the health system;
• YELLOW caution – community transmission of COVID-19 is at low levels; and 
• GREEN limited risk – the spread of COVID-19 is broadly contained and a vaccine and/or effective treatment is available. 

At the launch of the system the provincewide level was set to YELLOW or ‘caution’ meaning that there is still a threat from COVI-19 but community transmission levels are low.

The Pandemic Response System online tool can be accessed in the link below.

LINK | Manitoba Pandemic Response System online tool

Manitoba’s chief provincial health officer, Dr Brent Roussin said, “We must learn to live with this virus, and be prepared to both respond and adapt to changes in the transmission risks COVID-19 presents.”

Roussin noted that the Pandemic Response System is a key tool to help Manitobans know what to do at each response level to reduce the spread of the virus.

© News4.ca 2020