COVID-19 Weekly Update June 5
June 4, 2020
Provincial Updates:
Public health officials advise no new cases of COVID-19 were identified as of 9:30 a.m. today. The total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba is 298.
- Job Grant. The province is making an increased investment of $5.7 million in the Canada-Manitoba Job Grant program this year to better assist businesses with staff training costs as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Hospital Access. Manitoba’s health minister says visitors will be allowed in local hospitals and health centres again starting Friday, but restrictions will remain.
- Manitoba Beach Safety. Safety officers are being deployed to three popular Manitoba beaches to make sure beach-goers are staying safe while enjoying the sun amid the coronavirus outbreak. Officers will be patrolling the beaches in Birds Hill, Winnipeg Beach, and Grand Beach Provincial Parks starting Thursday
- Foreign Worker Safety. The province’s three most recent cases have been linked back to a positive case in a temporary foreign worker who returned to Manitoba recently, public health officials announced on Wednesday.
- MPI Service Centres. Service centres belonging to Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) that were used for COVID-19 testing will be returning to their regular purpose in the coming weeks.
- Hydroxychloroquine. A new study out of the University of Manitoba has concluded that hydroxychloroquine is not effective in preventing the development of COVID-19 when used post-exposure.
- Essential Workers. The provincial government estimates around 100,000 workers are eligible for a one-time pay bump due to the risks of working through the pandemic. They could get about $1,000 each, which is taxable.
- Manitoba Soccer Association. The Manitoba Soccer Association released guidelines and recommendations for a phased reopening plan on Wednesday that players, coaches, parents and referees must follow starting June 17.
For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, visit www.manitoba.ca/covid19
Restoring Safe Services: Manitoba’s Pandemic and Economic Roadmap for Recovery is available at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/restoring/. Businesses with questions about how the new orders apply to them should visit https://engagemb.ca/.
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 total cases of COVID-19 in Canada was 93,726 as of June 4, 2020, including 7,637 deaths.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the federal government will be offering cities an advanced transfer of $2.2 billion in infrastructure money to help cover COVID-19-prompted budget shortfalls. The 2020-21 funding will be sent through the federal Gas Tax Fund.
- Seniors facing higher costs for groceries, transportation and prescriptions due to COVID-19 can expect emergency aid payments of up to $500 in early July. The direct supports will amount to $2.5 billion and are expected to help 6.7 million older Canadians.
- New Brunswick plans to open its borders to Canadians who have immediate family in the province or who own property, starting June 19, provided they self-isolate for 14 days.
- Canadians looking to borrow money for a home purchase a home are in for some extra challenges after the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation announced changes to its lending standardson Thursday.
- The economy appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank of Canada said Wednesday as it kept its key interest rate steady at its lower bound.
- Ottawa is earmarking millions of dollars to promote holiday travel inside Canada as it seeks to help the tourism industry weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds announced by Economic Development Minister Melanie Joly on Sunday include $30 million originally intended to attract foreign visitors through the federal tourism marketing agency, Destination Canada.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that the$2.8 million, by way of the Ontario Together Fund, will help manufacturers “re-tool their processes” and increase their capacity to make PPE.
Industry Updates:
Municipalities decry perceived lag in Manitoba pursuit of infrastructure funds
COVID-19 and mental health: Construction is not immune
Important Provincial Links
COVID-19 Manitoba Screening Tool
MB COVID-19 Information and Resources
Important National Links
Apply for EI
Government of Canada’s COVID-19 information page
Travel Advisory Information
Canada’s Building Trades Union