Dr. Brent Roussin and Premier Brian Pallister say the province will continue to face strict restrictions.

During a Thursday press conference, the pair announced a slight tightening of current restrictions. Roussin says because the province was already quite restricted before, he does not have much left to restrict.

"We need Manitobans to stay home as much as possible for the next two weeks," Pallister says. "We are doing the absolute best we can with her facts we have, and I think Manitobans will abide by these health orders if they wish to see us get out of this mess."

The new orders begin on Saturday and will last for two weeks, until June 12.

All previous restrictions will remain in place. One addition to the orders is malls must manage their capacity, as recent weeks have seen Manitobans use malls to gather. This will be enforced.

"I think that right now we have directed people who can work remotely to be able to do so, and plus we have changed this focus not necessarily closing the nonessential businesses but for essential and non-essential businesses we are going to be having that ability to close business on a targeted basis," Roussin says.

If a workplace has two or more positive cases, Public Health is directed to look into the cases and has the ability to close them.

Roussin says workplaces must allow their employees to work from home whenever possible, adding this into the Public Health Orders.

"Anyone who can work remotely, get them remote right now. We have many weeks looking ahead of us here," Roussin says. "If you are an employer and you have employees who can work remotely we must do so. We are at a critical stage right now. Don't look to see how it might be enforced or how to work around it."

Roussin says overall, workplace transmission is a significant factor in cases, with 10 per cent of cases coming from the workplace, risking the virus being brought home.

Schools will remain online, adding Dauphin to the list of communities with remote learning schools. Winnipeg, Brandon, and Red River Valley and Garden Valley school divisions are remote learning until June 7. Dauphin will continue remote learning until June 9.

Gyms, restaurants, and other previously closed businesses will remain closed. Open businesses are limited to 10 per cent, with one shopper per household.

Multiple-household gatherings continue to be off-limits, on both private and public property, excluding certain circumstances such as providing care.

"No restrictions work unless people work at them. And so the emphasis today is to further broaden what we are already the most restrictive measures in the country," Pallister says, noting that Ontario allows outdoor gatherings of up to five people with distancing.

Ontario's Stay At Home Order has closed all non-essential businesses to in-person shopping, a move the Premier does not want to make.

"What is the mental health impact of closing all your small businesses down and putting people out of work all over the province of Manitoba?" Pallister asks. 

 

Looking into the PHO future

The Premier says "there is hope in the window" for Manitobans as the restrictive orders continue.

"It is our hope that they will work as a consequence of the restrictions a couple of weeks ago. We believe that we may see some positive downturn or a plateau fairly soon. We think that may be evident in some of the recent numbers. But we are not out of the bush yet. Not even close."

Vaccination incentives are being announced next week.

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