Public health officials identified 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the province’s total case count to 1,349.

There are 393 active cases in Manitoba, with 13 people in hospital and three in intensive care. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at 16.

None of today’s cases are in Prairie Mountain Health, which has some wondering whether or not health officials will consider moving the region out of the “orange” restricted level anytime soon.

Dr. Brent Roussin, our chief public health officer, says we are certainly seeing a trend in the right direction with case numbers in Prairie Mountain Health.

“We’ll be watching that closely. We’re just at the tail end of the first incubation period (14 days) after we went to restricted ‘orange’ in PMH. We’ll continue to watch those numbers closely, and adjust the pandemic response system as indicated. ”

“We need to see more of this trend, for much longer, before we can begin to think about lifting those restrictions.”

As students, teachers and staff return to school this week, public health officials strongly encourage all Manitobans to return to the fundamentals to help stop the spread of COVID-19. This means staying home if you are sick, washing/sanitizing your hands, covering your cough and physically distancing when you are with people outside your household. If you cannot physically distance, wear a mask. 

Unless recommended by Public Health, only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing.

For more information about COVID-19 in the province, click here.