WINNIPEG -- Premier Brian Pallister is reminding people to follow the public health orders and remain cautious as Passover and Easter approach.
He said Manitoba can't go through what happened last year.
"And what happened last year was Thanksgiving, we hadn't had even a first wave of any great degree, and we caused a second wave. We caused it, Manitobans caused it," said Pallister during a Tuesday morning news conference.
Pallister said the second wave started because people didn't take the restrictions seriously as they gathered in enclosed spaces for long periods.
"These things created a November to forget, but we can never forget it. We'd like to, but we can't. We lost a lot of people."
Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, issued a similar message on Monday, saying Manitobans need to celebrate differently this year.
"We're going to continue to advise against non-essential travel. We still have the self-isolation requirements for those that do travel for non-essential purposes," said Roussin.
The top doctor said there are still ways to celebrate but they have to follow the current health orders.
"(Manitobans) can still (celebrate) through the household bubble or the designated visitors."
Pallister said Manitobans need to learn from last year.
"We have to remember what happened, and we have to make sure it doesn't happen again this Easter and Passover season, and let that never happen again," he said. "If we're smart people, (which) I think we are, we've learned a lot. We're different than we were. We have to prove it again, because the cavalry is not here yet, but the variants are."
Both Pallister and Roussin said people need to stay home when they're sick, wash their hands, and continue to be socially distant.
Passover is on March 27 and Easter is on April 4.
