The government of Manitoba has announced province-wide changes to its #RestartMB Pandemic Response System in response to the surge of confirmed COVID-19 cases and the increasing test positivity rate.
Notably, the Winnipeg Metro Region will move into the critical (red) level, and the Southern Health-Santé Sud, Prairie Mountain Health and Interlake-Eastern Health regions will move into the restricted (orange) level.
Effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 2, 2020 the Winnipeg Metro Region will move into the critical (red) level of the province's pandemic response system.
In addition to the above noted changes for the Winnipeg Metro Region, employers, including the public service, are encouraged to have employees work from home wherever possible.
As the Winnipeg Metro Region moves to the restricted (red) level, the following measures remain unchanged:
- public and private group gathering sizes remain at five, however, the province has indicated that limiting contacts from outside one's household is strongly encouraged;
- no changes for grocery stores and pharmacies, which may continue to operate at 50% capacity;
- no changes for schools: blended learning for grades 9 to 12, voluntary blended learning temporarily available for kindergarten to grade 8, and encouraging as much physical distancing as possible;
- casinos remain closed; and
- no change for personal services and maintaining 50% capacity remains.
The regions outside of the Winnipeg Metro Region will either remain or move into the restricted (orange) level of the province's pandemic response system. Joining the Northern Health Region, the Southern Health-Santé Sud, Prairie Mountain Health and Interlake-Eastern Health regions will move to the restricted (orange) level effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 2, 2020.
The province indicated that the new public health measures will be in effect for two weeks, subject to review and extension.
Individuals and employers need to take necessary steps to ensure compliance with orders made under The Public Health Act and The Emergency Measures Act. The province made amendments to the Preset Fines and Offence Descriptions Regulation (PFODR) under The Provincial Offences Act to allow enforcement officers to issue tickets with set fines for failure to comply with the emergency orders. Effective October 21, total fine amounts have been set at $1,296 for tickets issued to individuals, including sole proprietorships and partnerships, and $5,000 for tickets issued to corporations.
MLT Aikins will continue to monitor the situation. Employers considering the impact of the province's pandemic response plan and how it applies to their business should contact a member of our labour and employment team in Winnipeg.
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