Manitobans gain more freedoms

On Saturday, Manitobans will finally be able to book a haircut, sit at a patio at a restaurant with friends, visit a loved one inside a long-term care home, and slowly regain some of the freedoms they lost over the last 15 months due to the pandemic.

On Wednesday, the province announced changes to the public health orders. While other provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have loosened their public health restrictions significantly, Manitoba has taken a cautious approach to reopening as the numbers of new COVID-19 cases continue to decline and vaccine uptake rises.

With just over 71 per cent of the population having received their first vaccine dose and more than 27 per cent of the population having received their second dose, 1.2 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the province, Premier Brian Pallister said in a press conference held Wednesday with chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin.

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The new public health orders come into effect on Saturday at 12:01 a.m.

Manitobans who are fully immunized — two vaccine doses plus two weeks from the time of their second dose — will now benefit from the following exemptions:

• visit loved ones in personal care homes or hospitals;

• participate in social or communal activities, if you are a resident of a personal care home or congregate living facility;

• travel domestically for essential and non-essential purposes outside of Manitoba without the requirement to self-isolate on their return; and

• dine indoors at restaurants and bars with other fully immunized friends and family from outside your household.

Large-scale, outdoor professional sports or performing arts events may also allow fully immunized Manitobans to attend, subject to approval by Manitoba Public Health. The province will work with sports and arts organizations to implement proof of vaccination protocols for these events.

Additional benefits for fully immunized Manitobans will be announced in July, including increasing capacity for fully immunized people at weddings, funerals, faith-based and other gatherings, based on continued vaccination rate increases and improvements in the province’s overall COVID-19 situation.

Under the first milestone of the “4-3-2 One Great Summer” reopening plan, Manitobans will also be able to gather in larger numbers, dine out in restaurants and on patios, attend faith-based services, and go to gyms, hair salons and retail stores in every region of the province, with some restrictions.

Also effective at 12:01 a.m. Saturday:

• outdoor gathering sizes on private property to double to 10 persons, and to allow outdoor visitors to briefly access homes for essential activities, like using a washroom;

• public outdoor gathering sizes to increase to 25 persons;

• retail businesses to open with increased capacity at 25 per cent to a limit of 250 persons, with no restrictions on the number of household members permitted to shop together;

• personal service businesses (hair and nail salons, estheticians, barbers, etc.) to reopen at 50 per cent capacity, on an appointment basis only,

• restaurants and bars to reopen at 25 per cent capacity for indoors and 50 per cent for outdoor dining. For indoor dining, patrons seated together must be from the same household unless all patrons at the table are fully immunized. Patrons who are fully immunized and from different households may dine together. For outdoor dining, tables are limited to a maximum of eight patrons and can be from different households regardless of immunization status;

• indoor faith-based services and organized community gatherings — powwows, sun dance ceremonies — to resume at 25 per cent capacity to a limit of 25 persons with masks worn at all times;

• outdoor faith-based and organized community gatherings — powwows, sun dance ceremonies — to resume for up to 50 persons, provided distance can be maintained between households. Drive-in services continue to be permitted;

• outdoor weddings and funerals may take place with up to 25 participants, in addition to photographer and officiants. Indoor weddings and funerals remain limited to 10 persons;

• indoor dance, music, theatre and other organized sports and recreation activities may reopen at 25 per cent capacity to a limit of five persons, with no tournaments allowed;

• outdoor dance, music and theatre classes and other organized recreation activities may reopen for groups up to 25 people, with no tournaments allowed;

• swimming and wading pools, both indoor and outdoor, may reopen at 25 per cent capacity;

• gyms and fitness facilities may reopen for individual and group fitness classes at 25 per cent capacity with three metres distance maintained between patrons, and summer day camps may reopen to a maximum of 20 participants in groups.

Indoor mask use and physical distancing are still required.

The orders are scheduled to expire at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 2, the next milestone. The province said it may increase reopening capacities earlier if vaccination rate goals are reached sooner and the overall COVID-19 situation continues to improve.

Despite the progress made over the past two months against the COVID-19 third wave, both the premier and Roussin reinforced that public health restrictions are required.

He said with other provinces opening and reducing restrictions a little faster than Manitoba: “Ultimately, if COVID makes a comeback, we all suffer. It’s going to be important for us to remember if these health orders are followed, it will help us and work to our advantage. But if not followed, we’re going to put ourselves back into a disadvantaged situation and we lose some of those freedoms.”

Keeping a close eye on Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, Pallister said there are many people who are concerned public health restrictions are being loosened in other provinces too rapidly.

“We’ll watch with interest and cheer for the people of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. But here in Manitoba, the third wave came later, it came with intensity. Today is an announcement about what happens when we respond well. What happens is we start to get our lives back,” he said.

“While the case numbers and our health system are improving, the pandemic is not over and variants of concern, especially the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, are still circulating. This is why Manitobans need to continue to practice the fundamentals – washing your hands, physical distancing, wearing a mask, and getting fully vaccinated,” Roussin said. “Today’s reopening fits with the public health advice on where we are in the fight against the pandemic and where we still have to go.”

On Aug. 2, the province will reopen to 50 per cent capacity or greater if 75 per cent of the population aged 12 and above have received their first vaccination and 50 per cent of Manitobans aged 12 and above have received their second dose, while taking ongoing account of COVID-19 transmission. An earlier reopening will be considered depending on progress toward these goals.

“We must remain cautious, careful, and vigilant against a COVID-19 comeback,” said Pallister.

» kkielley@brandonsun.com