Morden-Winkler M-L-A, and Manitoba Health Minister, Cameron Friesen, says the province is at a critical point in its fight against COVID-19. He notes, with surging case numbers across the province including the Pembina Valley, the increased restrictions imposed this week were necessary. Manitoba was moved to Red, or Critical, on the Pandemic Response System Thursday.

“I know these new measures are difficult for many people to accept, some people are frustrated we have to be back in a more general type of lock-down,” says Friesen. “We acknowledge that, this isn’t easy, but we simply must interrupt this widespread community spread of the virus, so we can maintain the capacity in our healthcare system that we need.”

As of Friday morning there were 231 in hospital, and 34 in intensive care. Friesen adds, in just the last two weeks, the number of cases in Southern Manitoba has tripled, and that’s simply not sustainable.

“Looking back, I think this summer lulled a lot of people into a false sense of security, that it seemed, some how, we had beat COVID,” says Friesen. “The thing about this virus is that it is very transmittable, and it is very sneaky, in that it looks for a long time it’s not gaining ground, and then it increases not incrementally, but exponentially.”

In Friday’s daily update 437 cases were announced province-wide, with 96 in Southern Health.

Meanwhile, Friesen is urging Pembina Valley residents to follow this week’s newly imposed restrictions. He is aware some people are tying to find loopholes in the public health orders, and criticizing what’s legally in those orders compared to what Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin has been saying.

“I think we’ve been clear, the public health advice to Manitobans right now is stay home,” explains Friesen. “The current restriction on the Pandemic Response System is critical, it says stay home. Dr. Roussin says stay home. The reason we can not put in law that no one can be in another household is there are exceptions to every rule. Shared custody, you might have an ailing or elderly parent that you might have to provide care to. You may be helping a family member who has a critical condition, but that fact is this, if you don’t have a critical reason to be in somebody else’s home, don’t be. Stay home.”

The Red, or Critical, restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks, and Health officials have said Manitobans should prepare for four weeks.