Sweatpants continue to be the work-wear of choice as health officials anticipate Manitobans working at home into the spring.

Work from home is the advice coming from health officials despite drops in cases. Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba's Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, says this is because they are anticipating fluctuations in cases throughout the entirety of the pandemic.

"If you are able to work at home I think you should continue to work at home," the doctor says.

While some employees may be wishing to return to the office, Atwal does not yet advise it due to anticipated future case fluctuations despite the current provincial trajectory.

"We are going to have lower numbers; there are going be ebbs and flows. And for a lot of individuals, sometimes it takes a bit of time to transition from a home environment workspace to a true workspace in a building or facility at a designated workplace."

If workplaces are not allowing their employees to work from home, Atwal says they must provide them with a safe environment.

dr jazz atwalDr. Jazz Atwal is recommending Manitobans continue to work from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Screenshot: Government of Manitoba/YouTube)

In some cases, people may be looking to work from home for the first time. Atwal says to make that move if possible.

"Right now, with all the restrictions we had in place, our case numbers are down quite dramatically," Atwal says. "I think, for the time being, we are still in a pandemic and the pandemic is not going away."

He says as the months continue, things such as vaccine supply and hospital demand will be important when deciding if one should return to working at an office or other facility in the future.

Atwal says to take it month-by-month when considering a return to the workplace, noting it will take time to return to a pre-pandemic normal.