Manitoba’s Premier says his “gut feeling” is that code red restrictions might be extended further into the winter.
The province’s heavy restrictions on retail stores and gatherings are set to run until Dec. 11, but it seems a more “clear trend downwards” is needed before they can be lifted.
"We’re still working on it — we’re interested to see what this trend is and what things will look like through this week."
Premier Brian Pallister says he will leave that decision up to Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer.
“We’re really wanting to see those total numbers come down, really so that we relieve the strain on the healthcare system,” said Roussin on Tuesday, adding “we’re still working on it — we’re interested to see what this trend is and what things will look like through this week.”
The strict measures — which prevent businesses from selling non-essential items in-store and prohibit Manitobans from socializing with people they don’t live with — appear to have helped minimize the growth of the COVID situation in Manitoba. Projections released by the province in early November estimated there could be up to 800 new cases a day in Manitoba by Nov. 22.
But while our daily case numbers didn't get as bad as health officials had feared, as of right now, there's still a ways to go.
“We weren’t wanting to see still averaging over 300 cases per day at this point,” said Roussin.
