COVID-19 Weekly Update April 10

April 10, 2020

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Provincial Updates

As of April 10, public health officials advise six additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified as of bringing the total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba to 230. Ten individuals are currently hospitalized, which includes five individuals in intensive care; 76 individuals have recovered from COVID-19. The province reported its 4th death as a result of COVID-19.  

• On April 9, the Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg launched ‘Operation Safe Apart’ pandemic public health enforcement strategy, including new pre-set fines for individuals or business owners who disregard public health orders, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Effective immediately, breaking those rules can cost $486 for individuals and $2,542 for businesses.
• In Winnipeg, reports of non-compliance can be made by calling: 311 or by email at 311@winnipeg.ca, or Twitter: @cityofwinnipeg
• On April 9, the province announced a supplemental online resource, the My Learning at Home portal, for Manitoba families whose children are learning at home during the suspension of in-school classes. The portal can be found at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/mylearning/index.html
• Public health officials are expanding testing criteria to include first responders with respiratory symptoms.
• Some 45,800 Manitobans lost their jobs last month while another 11,900 were temporarily laid off, before the province ordered even more businesses to close.
• On April 8, Manitoba launched a $5-million research fund into coronavirus vaccines and treatment.
• The province announced that they are suspending repayment of Manitoba Student Aid loans for six months to reduce the financial burden on post-secondary students.
• Three people tested positive for coronavirus at Winnipeg’s National Microbiology Laboratory
• Manitoba has closed public facilities in provincial parks, effective immediately. While the parks will remain open, public facilities including washrooms, playgrounds, and the use of picnic areas and group-shelters will be closed to ensure social distancing practices are enforced.
• Beginning Tuesday, April 14, parents who work in essential service sectors and haven’t been able to make other arrangements will be able to visit the province’s COVID-19 site to connect with child-care providers and secure a space for their children.
• Long weekend prompts reduced hours of operation at COVID-19 testing sites in Manitoba.

Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.

For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, visit:
www.manitoba.ca/covid19.

A comprehensive list of Manitoba government COVID-19 measures can be found at https://manitoba.ca/bg/2020/04/covid19.html

Federal Updates

The number of COVID-19 total cases in Canada was 21,243 as of April 10th, 2020, including 531 deaths.

• A forecast for the next week suggested Canada would see a cumulative total of between 22,580 and 31,850 cases by April 16, with the death toll reaching between 500 and 700.
  With strong control measures, the federal public health agency projects that 11,000 to 22,000 Canadians could die of COVID-19 in the coming months. The total number of positive diagnoses with strong controls ranges from 934,000 to 1.9 million.
• More than one million people lost jobs in March, sending the country’s unemployment rate up to 7.8 per cent.
• On April 8, the government announced another update to the now estimated $73 billion wage subsidy the federal government is in the process of rolling out. Now, companies can now compare their lost revenue to the average of what they made in January and February of 2020, and will only need to show a 15 per cent decline in March. For the months of April and May, businesses will need to demonstrate 30 per cent losses once again.
• The government has also announced temporary changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program. Now, employers who hire summer students can apply for a subsidy of up to 100 per cent of the provincial or territorial hourly minimum wage. This will help create up to 70,000 jobs for Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30.
• Some Canadian dairy farmers started dumping milk last week to rid the system of surplus production as demand from restaurants plummeted amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Judges release growing number accused of violent crimes due to COVID-19 fears.

Industry Updates:

Manitoba plans for construction of temporary COVID-19 hospitals

Canada working with G20 on joint response to oil prices hit by COVID-19

Ontario extends construction hours in effort to build COVID-19 infrastructure

COVID-19 forces construction industry to slow the pace 

Important Provincial Links
COVID-19 Manitoba Screening Tool

MB COVID-19 Information and Resources

COVID-19 Screening Locations
 
Important National Links
Apply for EI
Government of Canada’s COVID-19 information page
Travel Advisory Information
Canada’s Building Trades Union