Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) strongly advises that residents in the region avoid travelling to Manitoba unless it is essential. Community transmission of COVID-19 is happening within the province. Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Manitoba, both the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg have changed their pandemic response levels and increased public health orders beginning today.
If anyone from the region travels to Winnipeg for an essential reason, after returning home, they should limit interacting with others as much as possible for 14 days. “If you must travel to Winnipeg, avoid visiting anyone for 14 days upon your return, especially anyone who is at high risk of complications or death from COVID-19. This would include not visiting long term care homes, people aged 60 years or over, immunocompromised individuals, and those with underlying health conditions,” explains Dr. Kit Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health at NWHU. “Stay in northern Ontario and avoid any travel to Manitoba that isn’t absolutely essential. We hope that the new public health orders put in place today will help reduce the current spike in cases that our neighbours are seeing,” Dr. Young Hoon says.
If the public wants more information about this or other COVID-19 topics, the public can call NWHU’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-866-468-2240. NWHU also hosts a weekly online Question and Answer session with Dr. Young Hoon where the public can ask questions via Facebook live or GoTo Meeting. More information about the hotline and the sessions can be found at www.nwhu.on.ca/covid19.
