Coronavirus: Manitoba bans private gatherings, limits retail sales to essential items only

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and chief provincial health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced new public health orders Thursday, enhancing the province-wide COVID-19 restrictions already in place, banning gatherings at private residences, with visitors only allowed for essential reasons, and limiting retail sales to essential items only.

This comes a week after the entire province was put under level-red restrictions, which closed restaurants, bars, gyms, non-essential retail stores and other facilities.

Under the new rules starting November 20, people will no longer be allowed to have visitors in their homes unless they are providing supports such as child care, tutoring and health services. Those who live alone may have one person over for social purposes.

The government is also forcing retail stores that remain open to only sell essential items inside and close off sections that offer non-essential goods such as consumer electronics. The cap on customers inside big-box stores — the limit will be 25 per cent of capacity or 250 people, whichever is less.

"Don't game the system, the idea here is to put the right to life ahead of the right to shop," Pallister said.

Manitoba has reported eight new deaths and 475 new COVID-19 cases Thursday.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7472372/manitoba-coronavirus-covid-19-update-thursday-november-19/

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