WINNIPEG -- Manitoba health officials are reminding residents to stay within provincial borders.

Over the weekend, Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, tweeted a message discouraging Manitobans from travelling outside of the province.

“All Manitobans have worked to flatten our curve, but travel outside of Manitoba is discouraged at this time in order to reduce the risk of importing the #COVID19 virus into our province,” his tweet said.

Despite the fact that restrictions are being loosened, and COVID-19 numbers have been low in Manitoba, the rules around travel remain in place.

This means that returning residents or anyone arriving in Manitoba has to self-isolate for 14 days, with the exception of essential workers and those heading to their cottages close to the border, as long as they don’t display symptoms upon return.

“We are at risk of importing the virus here, so that’s why we have those self-isolation orders in place still,” said Roussin at a news conference earlier this week.

Roussin said travel restrictions will not be loosened until other provinces see a downward trend in their COVID-19 cases.

“It’d have to be sustained because, with these orders, we don’t really want to go back and forth,” he said.

“That’s the same with our reopen strategy.”

As for travel to northern Manitoba, restrictions remain in place, but some are expected to be loosened during Phase Two of reopening.

THE IMPACT ON KENORA

Manitoba’s travel restrictions are having a direct impact on Kenora, Ont., a city where a number of Manitoba residents have cottages.

“It is eerie, eerie quiet,” said Andy Scribilo from the Kenora and District Chamber of Commerce.

Scribilo noted that this has taken a toll on local businesses, because they just don’t have the regular summer volume of visitors.

Kenora’s mayor Dan Reynard, noted there have been some Manitoba licence plates around the city, but not as many as usual.

“(The) majority of our businesses operate 12 months a year, but it’s because of what they generate from May 1 to October 1, so it’s having a huge impact,” said Reynard.

- With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele.