Manitoba mulls options for relaxing retail, gathering restrictions for all but northern region
Possible changes include allowing up to 2 visitors inside homes, eliminating essential items list
Most Manitobans could soon have the option of inviting a small number of friends and family over for a backyard gathering or shopping for anything they want at a store, after enduring two months of the toughest lockdown since the start of the pandemic.
The province released a range of options Tuesday that it's considering regarding private gatherings and the reopening of stores for all regions except the hard-hit north.
"The actions and hard work and sacrifices of Manitobans has continued to make a difference," Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer, said at a news conference.
"Overall our numbers are headed in a good direction, and that means that we can start looking at what a reopening might look like."
WATCH | Province takes "cautious approach" to reopening:
The current household orders could be loosened to allow two additional people — family or friends — to visit a household, outdoor visits of up to five people in addition to members of the household on private property, and funerals with up to 10 people, plus an officiant.
All stores might be allowed to reopen, as long as they maintain physical distancing and occupancy limits of 25 per cent, up to a maximum of 250 people. Eliminating the list of restricted non-essential items is also being floated.
Non-regulated health services such as reflexology and the services of barbers and hairstylists could reopen as long as they also follow health precautions.
The relaxed orders, which are merely proposals at this point, could come into effect as soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, when the current public health restrictions expire, and last three weeks.
A 'cautious approach'
Roussin stressed that the province is taking a "cautious approach," saying that the more interactions people have, the more opportunity there is for transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Manitoba case numbers began to increase sharply in late October and November, despite some restrictions in place at the time, and Roussin said he doesn't want to see that happen again.
"We don't want to go back and forth. We want to have a slow, cautious approach so that we can continue reopening over time and not have to go back and close certain things again."
WATCH | Manitoba's top doctor expects mixed reception to relaxing some restrictions:
The proposed changes don't include reopening businesses like restaurants or gyms, or allowing religious services. The reason stores may be allowed to reopen, but not restaurants, is that people go in and out of stores without remaining in close contact for a long time, Roussin said.
"In restaurants, this is prolonged indoor contact, so we know that this adds to the risk," he said.
Winnipeg and several surrounding communities moved to the red level — the highest level on the province's pandemic response system — on Nov. 2, and the rest of the province followed on Nov. 12.
Restrictions tightened further on Nov. 20, when the province reduced the number of household visitors allowed in most cases to zero and imposed an outright ban on the sale of non-essential items in stores.
Daily cases have dropped since reaching a high of 546 on Nov. 23, which fell by 80 per cent to the 111 reported Tuesday.
The province says its options for relaxing restrictions were informed by a survey that received 67,500 responses from Friday to Monday.
Manitobans are asked to provide feedback on their preferences through the engagemb.ca website.
Mixed reactions from political leaders
Opposition party leaders had mixed responses to the proposed changes, expressing support for some ideas while criticizing the Progressive Conservative government's decision-making process.
Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont worried about loosening the restriction on household gatherings, saying that some people, if given "an inch [will] take a mile."
He also called Roussin's announcement of proposed changes strange, because no decisions have actually been made.
"Ultimately these decisions should not be made by poll," he said.
Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew questioned why Premier Brian Pallister wasn't sitting alongside Roussin during Tuesday's announcement.
On the proposed relaxing of restrictions, Kinew said the government must take a balanced approach that reduces risk, while also acknowledging the many ways the pandemic has harmed people.
"None of us want to see the hospitals get overrun, and yet at the same time there's a lot of people who are really struggling because they're isolated," he said.
Lamont said he didn't understand why some businesses and services, like tattoo parlours, were not included in the proposals.
"If places can be open safely, then they should be open safely," he said.
WATCH | Full news conference on COVID-19 | Jan. 19, 2021:
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