Manitoba to lift mask mandate for indoor public places
The Manitoba government announced on Tuesday it will be lifting the mask mandate for indoor public spaces beginning this weekend.
Premier Brian Pallister and Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, announced the province’s latest round of public health orders on Tuesday, which come into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7.
“Public health will no longer require mask use in indoor public places under the public health orders,” Roussin said.
“However, we know that COVID-19 will be with us. COVID-19 will be here in a post-pandemic Manitoba, as well as the other respiratory viruses such as influenza and RSV.”
The province noted that due to the continued presence of COVID-19 in the province and the risk posed by the delta variant, Manitoba strongly recommends that those who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 continue to wear masks in indoor public places. This also applies to children under the age of 12, who are not eligible for the vaccine.
Manitoba also recommends that people continue to maintain physical distancing of two metres between people while they are in indoor settings.
“We’re moving from public health restrictions to recommendations, but we know that COVID is still with us. We still know those places, crowded spaces, prolonged contact, increases the risk of transmission, not only of COVID, but the other respiratory viruses that are likely to return,” Roussin said.
Roussin added that individual businesses can decide whether they want to continue requiring customers to wear masks.
“Individual businesses are going to have to decide on the appropriateness of additional measures,” he said.
According to the province, masks will be continued to be required during entry and while in health-care facilities, including hospitals and personal care homes. Medical masks continue to be required, and they will be provided by the facility.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.