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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.