COVID-19 daily updates - Thursday, May 14

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3:03 p.m. Province extends temporary orders to help address pandemic

The Manitoba government is introducing additional temporary orders to extend deadlines, social service and child-care provisions, and reduce municipal government regulatory burdens to help address the COVID-19 pandemic, Premier Brian Pallister announced today. 

“Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are instituting new emergency orders to allow for greater flexibility during this time and give Manitobans the time they need to work around the interruptions this pandemic has caused,” said Pallister.  

A state of emergency has been declared by the powers set out in Section 10(1) and 10(2) of The Emergency Measures Act. The additional orders will ensure continued access to services for Manitobans during the state of emergency in Manitoba due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as: 

•    extending deadlines to apply for the 2019 farmland school tax rebate and to appeal tax assessments to the earlier of Sept. 21, 2020, or the end of the state of emergency associated with COVID-19; 
•    providing exemptions to current license requirements for child care so that early childhood educators can offer child care in their homes and in the community for families who need it during the current state of emergency; 
•    suspending municipal byelections during the current state of emergency, as well as reducing municipal council meeting quorum requirements to provide greater flexibility for local governments;
•    temporarily suspending meeting provisions for condominium corporations, co-operatives, corporations and credit unions and introducing measures to allow electronic attendance, delivery of notices and voting by other means;
•    introducing temporary suspensions for in-person commissioning and witnessing provisions related to oaths, affirmation, statutory declarations, health-care directives, powers of attorney, land titles documents and wills; and
•    temporarily suspending feeds for marriage fees, licences and marriage commissioners if the person has an expired licence issued after Dec. 19, 2019. 

The province has the ability to revoke any of the above orders sooner than stated if it deems necessary. To review the new orders, visit www.manitoba.ca/covid19/soe.html

A comprehensive list of Manitoba government COVID-19 measures can be found at:
https://manitoba.ca/bg/2020/04/covid19.html.

 

1:32 p.m. Zero new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba for second straight day

Public health officials advise no new cases of COVID-19 have been identified as of 9:30 a.m. today. In addition, one case that had been considered probable has been ruled as negative, so the total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba is 289.

The data also shows:
•    four individuals are currently hospitalized, with one individual in intensive care; 
•    30 active cases and 252 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19; and
•    the number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at seven.

As of yesterday, an additional 306 laboratory tests were performed. This brings the total number of tests performed since early February to 32,244. 

The probable case that has been removed is one related to the workplace cluster in the Prairie Mountain Health region, which means the total cases in that cluster is reduced to 10. 

It is important to note that while some gradual lifting of restrictions has begun, significant work to limit the spread of COVID-19 must continue. Public health is also advising people to remain within or close to their home communities. The request to stay home as much as possible is still in place at this time. This includes limiting travel, even within Manitoba and neighbouring jurisdictions, to essential trips only. With the long weekend approaching, Manitobans are reminded that travel is not permitted from southern Manitoba to areas, including campgrounds, north of the 53rd parallel, which is essentially anywhere north of the northern end of Lake Winnipeg. 

Manitobans experiencing flu or cold-like symptoms no longer require a referral from Health Links-Info Santé or their family physician before heading to a community site for COVID-19 testing. Anyone with symptoms is still encouraged to use the online screening tool to determine whether they meet the necessary criteria to be tested. 

For up-to-date information on testing criteria and community screening sites, visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/locations.html. For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, visit www.manitoba.ca/covid19.

Restoring Safe Services:  Manitoba’s Pandemic and Economic Roadmap for Recovery is available at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/restoring/. Businesses with questions about how the new orders apply to them should visit https://engagemb.ca/.

A comprehensive list of Manitoba government COVID-19 measures can be found at:
https://manitoba.ca/bg/2020/04/covid19.html.