COVID-19 daily updates - Monday, Apr. 13
- Details
- Published on Monday, April 13, 2020
1:04 p.m. Four new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba, 99 recoveries so far.
Public health officials advise four new cases of COVID-19 have been identified as of 9:30 a.m., bringing the total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba to 246.
The data also shows:
• eight individuals are currently hospitalized, which includes four individuals in intensive care;
• 99 individuals have recovered from COVID-19; and
• the total number of deaths reported in Manitoba is four.
Cadham Provincial Laboratory performed 32 tests Sunday. A total of 17,245 tests have been performed since early February.
The chief provincial public health officer will be extending the public health orders issued on March 30 for two weeks. The orders that were to expire on Apr. 14 are now extended to Apr. 28, with the following measures remaining in effect:
- Public gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people at any indoor or outdoor place or premises. This includes places of worship, gatherings and family events such as weddings and funerals. This does not apply to a facility where health-care or social services are provided including child-care centres and homeless shelters.
- All restaurants and other commercial facilities that serve food are prohibited from serving food to customers in their premises. This prevents eat-in dining at all facilities. However, restaurants and other commercial facilities can prepare and serve food for delivery or takeout. If this takes place, the operator of the restaurant must ensure that all people maintain the appropriate social distancing from other customers when picking up food.
- All businesses that are not listed in the schedule of critical services that accompanies the order must remain closed.
- This closure order does not prevent these businesses from operating on a remote basis.
- A business may accept orders on the Internet, or over the phone for delivery or pickup, as long as the employees are not working at the place of business.
- The order does not prevent employees or others from coming into the business to perform repairs, to provide security services or to take out items from the business premises if the business is going to operate on a remote basis.
- Nothing in the order restricts the operations of delivery of services by the federal or provincial governments or a municipality.
- Nothing in the order restricts any activities of a publicly funded agency, organization or authority that delivers or supports government operations or services, including health-care services. This means the order does not affect institutions, agencies and other service providers who provide health-care services such as hospitals, regional health authorities and private agencies who provide a range of health services.
Manitobans should not interpret current case numbers to mean the risk of COVID-19 is reduced. The current statistics may be a reflection of the effect strict social distancing measures have had and reaffirms that these measures must be continued. Manitobans are reminded this is not the time to let their guard down.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.
The community testing site in Brandon is moving to a new drive-thru location. Starting Tuesday afternoon, the site will be located at the Brandon Town Centre, 800 Rosser Ave., enter from Eighth Street on the P1 level of the centre’s parkade. Regular hours for the relocated Brandon site will resume Wednesday, operating daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
11:44 a.m. Manitoba Government to connect businesses/non-profits & charities to support programs
The Manitoba government has engaged Manitoba-based business, 24-7 Intouch, to help businesses, not-for-profits and charities facing economic challenges due to COVID-19 connect with support programs, Premier Brian Pallister announced today.
“Manitoba’s small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of our economy and they are facing pressures in ways we’ve never seen before because of the global pandemic,” said Pallister. “We want to help organizations navigate and leverage the resources available to them so they can be in a better position to rebound from the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19, and continue offering services and creating jobs into the future.”
Pallister estimated more than 65,000 Manitoba businesses are eligible for federal support programs, such as the 75 per cent wage subsidy and Canada Emergency Business Account, which offers interest-free loans up to $40,000.
The Manitoba government recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) from organizations that could operate a secure call centre to help inform and guide stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. 24-7 Intouch, a Winnipeg-based global leader in the inbound customer-care industry, has been awarded the contract.
The province is in the process of working with 24-7 Intouch to establish this important service in the coming days. Strict privacy protocols, including the use of personal and business information, will be in place. It will offer bilingual service with the capacity to offer assistance in other languages spoken in Manitoba.
The premier noted the centre will offer a two-stream process to identify and reach out to identified and prioritized businesses and stakeholders that have been impacted by COVID-19 to offer help, and answer incoming calls and questions. In order to protect the privacy and security of those using this service, outbound calls will not ask for confidential information as their purpose is to advise of the services available and encourage the use the inbound line.
Details such as call centre phone number and hours of operation will be available in the days ahead. Businesses are encouraged to regularly check the Manitoba government website to view an updated list of available federal and provincial supports at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/business/index.html.
A comprehensive list of Manitoba government COVID-19 measures can be found at:
https://manitoba.ca/bg/2020/04/covid19.html.
