Two new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba; recoveries hit 300 mark

Two new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba on Friday The province announced two new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba on Friday.

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government has identified two new cases of COVID-19 in the province.

According to a bulletin sent Friday afternoon, the new cases are both from the Winnipeg region. One case is a man in his 30s, with the province saying it is travel-related, while the second case is a woman in her 50s, and is a close contact of a previously identified case.

With the two new cases, the total number of cases since March in Manitoba now sits at 318.

The province added six recoveries on Friday, bringing the total number of individuals recovered to 300. There are currently 11 active cases, and nobody is hospitalized with the virus.

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 remains at seven.

The province said 1,412 laboratory tests were performed Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the total number of tests since early February to 60,775.

NEW PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS

The COVID-19 bulletin on Friday also revealed new public health orders relating to COVID-19.

The new orders officially remove restrictions on travel to northern Manitoba and remote communities, though the province said anyone travelling to northern Manitoba should “respect traditions put in place by local communities and First Nations.”

The orders also remove the requirement for people coming into Manitoba to work on film productions to self-isolate for 14 days before entering the province.

The province said the new orders also clarify that the only sports teams exempt from self-isolation requirements are professional sports teams from Manitoba. The orders remove the requirement for Manitoba sports teams to self-isolate for 14 days before returning to Manitoba.

The province is also permitting individuals who are self-isolating under federal or provincial health orders to visit a family member or friend who has a life-threatening disease in a health-care facility. The province said the visits will only be allowed “if the facility permits them to do so and they are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19.”