Manitoba's Chief Medical Officer says they expect the COVID-19 virus to be in Manitoba for at least one more year.

Dr. Brent Roussin is asking Manitobans to get back to "the fundamentals" to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Roussin says Manitoba is seeing an increase in cases. He says that it is important to continue to practice distancing, avoid large gatherings, and practice good hygiene habits.  

The province has announced 16 new cases of COVID-19; 11 in the Prairie Mountain Health region and five in the Southern Health region.

Six people are currently hospitalized with three individuals in intensive care. There are 196 active cases and 354 individuals have recovered from COVID-19. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at eight.

Officials say while many cases are linked to known clusters in Brandon and Southern Health, or close contacts of known cases, preliminary information suggests there may be a small number of cases of unknown acquisition.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin notes there are 22 cases connected to a business in Brandon. He adds the company is going beyond public health recommendations and having a larger number of workers self-isolating than required.

Case investigations are ongoing to determine possible COVID-19 exposures, Roussin says. When the investigations are completed, additional information will be provided as needed to inform people of any public health risks.

"We're seeing increasing numbers of cases, but this is to be expected," Roussin says. "We're certainly not helpless against this virus, we never have been. We know that when we focus on the fundamentals we can alter the trajectory of the spread of this virus."

Roussin explains the fundamentals remain staying home when ill, evenly mildly ill, practicing good hand hygiene, physical distancing and avoiding indoor, crowded places.

Preliminary testing numbers show an additional 1,364 laboratory tests were completed on Sunday, bringing the total number of tests completed since early February to 103,782.