WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is relaxing some of its COVID-19 public health orders and signalling that all restrictions may be lifted within a few months.
"I think the message is that, given where we are right now, if we don't see anything unexpected, that we're looking at a restriction-free Manitoba by spring," Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer, said Wednesday.
The first phase of easing restrictions will start next Tuesday, Roussin announced.
There will be higher caps on gatherings in private homes — 25 visitors, up from 10 if everyone is fully vaccinated; and 10 visitors, up from five, if anyone is not.
Bars and restaurants will be allowed to sell alcohol until midnight, instead of the current 10 p.m. cutoff.
Casinos, museums, restaurants, and professional sporting events will still be limited to half capacity and require all patrons to be fully vaccinated, but will no longer be capped at a maximum of 250 people.
For the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets, that will mean several thousand fans in the seats instead of 250.
The province is easing the rules because there are signs that the current pandemic wave has peaked, Roussin said.
The number of new hospital admissions is dropping and the number of people in intensive care, including non-COVID patients, has steadied.
"We see that many of those indicators continue to be stable or trending in the right direction," Roussin said.
Still, demand on the health-care system remains high. Surgeries and diagnostic tests have been cancelled, and intensive care usage remains about 35 per cent above normal pre-pandemic capacity.
There are a record 744 people in hospital with COVID-19, but Roussin said 60 per cent were hospitalized for other reasons.
The Opposition New Democrats said they were not convinced that now is the time to ease restrictions.
"I think we have to do what we need in order to buy some breathing room for the health-care system," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said. He called on the government to release internal advice it has received from public health officials.
Premier Heather Stefanson said there will be more financial support offered to businesses affected by health orders.
There will be another round of payments to restaurants, bars, gyms, museums and other venues affected by capacity limits, she said. Eligibility for aid is also being expanded to include catering companies and photographers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2022.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
