WINNIPEG -- Provincial health officials announced four new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba.

The announcement was made on Friday afternoon.

Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer, said this brings the province's total to 279.

Five people are currently in hospital and no one is in intensive care.

There are 38 active cases and 235 people have recovered. The number of deaths remains at six.

On Thursday, 689 tests were performed, bringing the total number of tested to 25,402 since early February.

Roussin talked more about the reopening process, which will start on May 4. He said things could be complicated and he doesn't want people to head out and act as if things are back to normal.

"We are gradually reopening things but we want Manitobans to stay cautious. When we are talking about golfing and outdoor events we know transmission of this virus is much limited in outdoor places, but we want to reduce those crowd size," said Roussin.

"Visiting friends and family, well if you can do it outside, if you can physically distance then that’s really reducing the risk. If you don't do that then there is some risk involved."

He added he wants Manitobans to make informed choices and he thinks that is possible as people in the province have already made good decisions to prevent the spread of the virus.

LIMITS ON PERSONAL CARE HOME STAFF

The public health order that limits personal care home workers to one location came into effect Friday.

The restriction was put in place to limit the possibility of COVID-19 spreading at a personal care home.

The province said the change is being implemented quickly and that all 127 licensed personal care homes in Manitoba have staff in place.

The Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU) said that while there is a need to protect the staff and residents at personal care homes, they are not happy with how the government has handled the health order.

"Nurses understand the need for the single site order—our first concern is always the wellbeing of our patients and residents, and during this time of crisis, we understand difficult decisions need to be made," Darlene Jackson, president of the MNU, said in a news release.

“Unfortunately, the Pallister government is refusing to work collaboratively with the nurses they are relying upon to provide care, and instead allowing employers to suspend nurses’ rights.”

Jackson called the approach heavy-handed.

PROVINCE'S 16TH TESTING SITE OPENS

A new drive-thru testing site opened in Swan River on Friday at a Manitoba Public Insurance facility at 125 Fourth Ave. North.

It will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is the province's 16th testing site.

For information on testing criteria and testing site locations, people can visit the government's website.

PROVINCE TO BEGIN REOPENING

The province announced that beginning on May 4, some non-essential businesses will be able to reopen, but Roussin noted there will continue to be strict enforcement of public health measures, even as restrictions are loosened.

"It is a broad reopening, but it is also very restrictive,” he said at a news conference on Thursday.

“The restrictions on these businesses that are opening is significant, that’s because we aren’t returning to normal.

The Manitoba legislature is also set to reconvene on Wednesday.