WINNIPEG -- Organized recreational sports participants waiting to start back up in Manitoba will likely have to wait a while longer.
On Tuesday, the province released its draft plan for the next round of health orders set to come into effect on Saturday.
While gathering limits, retail spaces and some services including barbershops and hair salons may see restrictions eased, Manitoba's top doctor said restrictions on organized recreational sports would likely stay put.
"We've seen transmission at both youth and adult recreation events, so it does bring with it a higher risk," Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, said on Tuesday.
Current health orders, which are set to expire on Friday, prohibit organized practices, games, or outdoor sporting competitions from taking place. There is an exception in place to allow the NHL to operate in the city.
People are still allowed to take part in outdoor sporting and recreational activities such as skating, tobogganing, skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing, as long as they keep two metres distance and remain in group sizes of five or fewer.
"We're not having organized sporting or recreation activities right now and again that's because we were taking a cautious approach," Roussin said. "We did see transmission in those types of events and so we're going to open very cautiously so we don't have to go back again."
Roussin would not speculate on when organized recreational sports may be allowed to start back up.
"Certainly we see a lot of benefit in those kinds of activities, so as soon as we feel it's safe to get back to that, we're going to allow it," he said.
This next round of health orders is expected to remain in place for three weeks, after which time Roussin said the province will review the orders.
