Manitoba reopening plans initiated prematurely, say experts

Manitoba is set to take a step toward the elimination of all pandemic-related restrictions, with an eye toward spring.

Premier Heather Stefanson said conditions are improving and therefore the province will ease up on some of the rules that are currently in place, but others in the health community believe the decision is slightly premature.

Stefanson, who addressed reporters at a news conference Wednesday afternoon alongside Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin, announced new public health orders will come into effect starting Feb. 8.

"We are seeing some positive trends in the data throughout the province, indicating that COVID-19 is starting to stabilize in our province as those trends continue," Stefanson said.

Roussin noted that throughout the pandemic, restrictions have been put in place for temporary measures. However, there appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of Manitoba's COVID-19 tunnel.

"The vast majority of Manitobans have done their part and gotten vaccinated, and we all know that our path forward must be one to continue to remove these public health orders over time — but in obviously a cautious manner," Roussin said.

While vaccination uptake is one of the tools the province is using to help slow the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, a virologist and Canada Research Chair at the University of Manitoba, believes vaccines aren't the only measure Manitoba needs to use to ensure citizens are protected.

There is wastewater and hospitalization data, the latter of which Kindrachuk says is lagging, but he doesn't think the province has provided a good assessment on case numbers and notes polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing has been limited for the past few weeks.

"We want to be cautious. We want to be appreciative that people want to get back to normal, and certainly we need to," Kindrachuk said. 

"But we also need to be very cognizant of the fact that this virus will burn very, very quickly if we give it enough oxygen."

Admittedly cautious at the best of times, Kindrachuk isn't surprised the province is moving in the direction of lessening restrictions with the hope having removing them entirely. He simply wants to be prepared in case another variant of concern rears its ugly head.

If the situation changes, there is a need to be as fluid as possible and "change on a dime," Kindrachuk said.

"I would like to see us have all of our arsenal present to be able to gauge where we are at any given time."

Initiating a plan where restrictions are a thing of the past by the time snow melts and flowers begin to bloom isn't something the virus is just going to allow us to do, he says.