WINNIPEG -- For the sixth consecutive day, Manitoba has not reported a new case of COVID-19 in the province.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, made the announcement during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
The total number of cases remains at 300.
The province is reporting one more recovery from the virus, bringing the total to 286. There are now seven active COVID-19 cases in Manitoba, with nobody hospitalized from the virus.
The total number of deaths from the virus remains at seven.
The province performed 735 laboratory tests for the virus on Wednesday. Since February, a total of 51,460 tests have been completed.
The news comes after the draft plan for the third phase of reopening for Manitoba was released Thursday morning.
“We continue to look at a number of key factors when making these recommendations, how this virus is transmitted, our current positivity rates, our healthcare capacity in the system,” Roussin said.
“We’ve looked at protecting those who are susceptible to outbreaks or severe outcomes, and so, based on that data, and our current case numbers, and our testing capacity, we felt, again, it was safe to put forward this proposal for Phase Three to continue our opening of the economy.”
The draft plan is currently proposing travellers from Western Canada or northwestern Ontario who enter Manitoba would not need to self-isolate for 14 days.
Roussin said the current low case numbers in the west, along with northwestern Ontario, led to the proposed change.
“Like any of these restrictions, we want them in place for the least amount of time that is necessary, and at the least restrictive level that is necessary,” he said. “Looking at the epidemiology in the western provinces, we’ve seen favourable trends in that area, same thing with northwestern Ontario.
“We find as soon as reasonable, we’re going to lift those requirements. There’s lots of benefits again to lifting these restrictions, once we know it’s at a safe level. Nothing we ever do is going to be at a zero risk, and we have to accept some levels of risk with the benefits of opening up our borders.”
Roussin said the province will continue to keep an eye on case numbers as the province continues to reopen.
The province will not be providing media bulletins for COVID-19 cases on the weekends, saying data will be rolled into Monday’s COVID-19 report.
Updated case numbers will be shared on Twitter on the weekends.
