11 more deaths, 111 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Manitoba as numbers lower in north
First day the province has had a double-digit number of deaths since Jan. 7
There are 11 more deaths and 111 new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba on Tuesday.
It's the first day the province has had a double-digit number of deaths since Jan. 7, when there were 12. The total number of COVID-related deaths in Manitoba is now 783.
Due to a data correction, one death that had been reported earlier has been removed.
Despite the bump into double digits for deaths, the daily case count is seven fewer than Monday's. That is a trend in the right direction compared to November, when daily case counts ranged from the low 400s to as high as 546.
As well, the province's five-day test positivity rate continues to decline, though just 1,462 tests were done Monday. It is now 9.9 per cent, compared to 10.6 on Monday. The rate is 7.4 per cent in Winnipeg.
As a result, the province is in a position to consider loosening current restrictions, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Brent Roussin said.
"The actions and hard work and sacrifices of Manitobans has continued to make a difference," he said. "This means we can start looking at what reopening might look like."
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The province announced late Tuesday morning it is looking at allowing two people (family or friends) to visit a household, allowing outdoor visits of up to five people plus members of a household on private property, and allowing all stores to open for the sale of all products but with occupancy limits.
Barbers and hairstylists might also be allowed to open with occupancy limits.
"Wherever people gather, whatever interactions you have, you increase the risk [of transmission] but we feel that in the retail setting, where that risk is very transient — people indoors but passing by in relatively short periods of time — with very strict capacity limits, we think this is a very cautious approach," Roussin said.
For that same reason, no changes are coming to the restrictions around gyms, organized recreation, sports or faith-based gatherings.
Prolonged indoor contact is a major concern, Roussin said, adding those activities will continue to be reviewed for further iterations of the public health orders.
Canadian Forces help on the way for Garden Hill
Given the high case counts in northern Manitoba and many First Nations, the proposed changes most likely won't take effect immediately for the Northern Health Region, the province said in a news release.
On Tuesday, federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair tweeted he had approved a request for Canadian Forces assistance with a COVID-19 outbreak at Garden Hill First Nation, about 475 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
As of Sunday, Garden Hill, with a a population of around 2,600, had 269 active cases.
Previously, the Canadian Armed Forces said it sent a liaison and reconnaissance team of eight members, as well as a ranger from the local community, to Garden Hill to assess the situation.
For regions other than Northern Health, the proposed changes could come into effect as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday, with the current orders set to expire at midnight, Roussin said.
"The plan is on Thursday to signal more definitely what those plans will be," he said.
"We know we can't get back to where we were. We know that the more interactions there are, the more chance of this virus being transmitted," Roussin said.
"We know Manitobans are eager, especially businesses, and these restrictions have been difficult. So we have to have a very cautious approach, taking advantage of the progress that we've all contributed to over these last many weeks."
The code red restrictions were put in place Nov. 12 and have twice been extended.
The new, slightly relaxed orders would likely be in effect for three weeks and then reviewed "to see if there's any more cautious reopening we can do at that time," Roussin said.
Caseload slows in north
The northern part of the province has been bearing the brunt of most of the new cases over the past week, but on Tuesday, the Winnipeg health region had the most single-day cases, with 52. The Northern Health Region had 33.
Another 12 are in the Interlake-Eastern health region, eight are in the Prairie Mountain Health region and six are in the Southern Health region.
Of the 11 deaths, seven are from the Winnipeg health region, including three connected to known outbreaks — a man in his 60s linked to the outbreak at the Southeast Personal Care Home, a woman in her 80s linked to the outbreak at Deer Lodge Centre Lodge 4 West, and a man in his 90s linked to the outbreak at Concordia Place.
The others from Winnipeg are three men — in their 50s, 70s and 90s — and a woman in her 90s.
One death — a woman in her 50s — is from the Interlake-Eastern health region and two are from the Southern Health region: a man in his 80s and another in his 90s. The latter is linked to the outbreak at Heritage Life Personal Care Home.
The other death is a man in his 80s from the Prairie Mountain Health region who is linked to the outbreak at the McCreary/Alonsa Health Centre.
Outbreaks have been declared over at St. Paul's Personal Care Home in The Pas, Fernwood Place in Steinbach, Greendale Estate assisted living in Grunthal, as well as at two locations in Winnipeg — Deer Lodge Centre Lodge 4 West and Health Sciences Centre unit WRS3.
A new outbreak has been declared at Donwood Manor in Winnipeg.
There are 279 COVID-19 patients in hospital, which is a reduction of 10 from Monday's report. There are 37 people in ICU, which is an increase of two.
Enforcement update
Although some code red restrictions will soon be eased, authorities have not backed away from enforcing those rules.
A total of 183 warnings and 77 tickets were issued for the week of Jan. 11-17, the highest amount of fines in several weeks.
There were 66 people fined $1,296 each for a total of $85,536. Nine tickets of $298 for not wearing a mask in indoor public places were handed out for a total of $2,682.
As well, one business was fined $5,000.
Of the 66 individual fines, 45 were in relation to gatherings in private residences or outdoors, the province stated in a news release. Nine were handed out at a protest rally at Bell MTS Place before the Jan. 14 Winnipeg Jets game.
A number of tickets were also issued for a rally in Steinbach on Saturday and the investigation is ongoing, which could result in more fines, the release stated.
"We all know there is, however you want to frame it, COVID fatigue," Roussin said on Tuesday. "We've been dealing with this pandemic now for over a year.
"We've had very tight restrictions on in Manitoba now for a couple of months, so it's really challenging. But the alternative is something we can't allow. We can't allow our health-care system to be overrun."
Even as the public orders begin to open up, enforcement will continue so that the progress being made with COVID-19 cases doesn't reverse.
"We know how difficult this is and we want to move forward but we have to do it cautiously," Roussin said.
WATCH | Full news conference on COVID-19 | Jan. 19, 2021:
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