Manitoba Reveals New Public Health Orders Coming Into Effect Friday

The Manitoba government says careful changes are coming to the public health orders.

With the COVID infection curve trending downward, chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says part of the new rules include family households.

“Households can choose from one of the following options. They can continue to designate two visitors to their home – the restrictions currently in place if that works for them and they can continue with that – or households can designate a second household so that the two households can visit each other.” he said.

Outdoor gathering limits will increase to 10, including for outdoor non-organized sport or recreation activities.

Places of worship will increase capacity to 25 per cent or 100 people, whichever is lower, with physical distancing measures in place and a mask is required.

Other changes listed by the province include:

• business, retail and restaurants:

–any types of business to be able to operate with the exception of indoor theatres, indoor concert halls, casinos and bingo halls;

–retail stores, malls and personal services to have increased capacity limits of up to 50 per cent or 250 people, whichever is lower, with other public health measures still in effect;

–restaurants and licensed premises to have increased capacity limits of up to 50 per cent, with the requirement for tables to sit with only household members, and other public health measures still in effect;

–businesses other than casinos to resume operating video lottery terminals, with physical distancing measures and barriers in place; and

–professional theatre groups, dance companies, symphonies and operas to resume rehearsals that are not accessible to members of the public.

• recreation and fitness:

–day camps for children to operate at 25 per cent capacity with other public health measures in place;

–indoor recreation and sporting facilities such as gyms, fitness centres, rinks, courts, fields, ranges, studios, clubs, pools and centres to open at 25 per cent total capacity, with public health measures in place including for spectators, common areas and locker rooms. The requirement to provide one-on-one instructions has been removed;

–gym, fitness centre and pool users must continue to wear a mask while working out and in all other areas of the facility, with the exception of while in a swimming pool;

–dance, theatre and music facilities to open for a total capacity of 25 per cent;

–indoor recreational facilities such as arcades, go-kart tracks and children’s facilities to open at 25 per cent capacity with physical distancing measures in place.

These changes will take effect Friday at 12:01 a.m.

Roussin says more restrictions could be eased later this month, if numbers continue dropping.