WINNIPEG — Starting August 7, the province of Manitoba implemented new public-health orders for achieving vaccination targets, one month earlier than predicted. Currently, about 80 per cent of Manitobans age 12 and over have received their first dose and 75 per cent are expected to receive their second dose over the next week.
“Thanks to the remarkable efforts of Manitobans, we’re now in a position to re-open more, sooner, as we have achieved our highest vaccination rates yet,” says Premier Brian Pallister. “This means Manitobans will enjoy the least restrictive public-health orders since the start of the pandemic.”
The following sectors will be allowed to open without restrictions: indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences, gyms and fitness centres, libraries, personal services (hair and nail salons), day camps and retail businesses.
Other sectors will open with few restrictions. There will be larger capacity limits, both indoors and outdoors, for weddings, funerals, cultural events and other public gatherings. Restaurants and bars will not have to space out tables, however, guests are still expected to avoid congregating. Museums, galleries and movie theatres will remain limited to 50-per-cent capacity, but they will no longer be restricted to vaccinated individuals. Casinos, bingo halls, sporting events, concert halls and horse and auto racing will be limited to vaccinated individuals only at full capacity. Overnight camps will have limits on camper cohorts. Lastly, remote working will no longer be required, however, workplaces must continue to report any COVID-19 cases to government.
“Unless you are fully immunized, you’re still at risk for more severe effects of COVID-19, such as requiring hospital care or even death,” says Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public-health officer. “We’re slowly but surely approaching a post-pandemic Manitoba, but this does not mean COVID-19 will disappear. We need to remain cautious and vigilant in efforts to stop the spread of this virus.”
These new public-health orders will expire on September 7 as vaccination rates will be re-assessed at that time.
“We’re very close to hitting that final milestone in our re-opening path and re-opening fully and completely,” says Pallister. “We need everyone on ‘Team Manitoba’ for this final stretch. Get vaccinated – not once, but twice – and follow the public-health orders and guidance designed to bend our COVID-19 curve down, and keep it down.”