'It's a balance': Top Doc says Manitobans must stop the spread of COVID

The province is looking to bend the COVID-19 curve but needs Manitobans to get on board.

Manitoba's Premier and Chief Public Health Officer say, during a Monday press conference, they look at many factors when deciding the Public Health Orders. The pair announced new orders that are set to start this week.

"There are perspectives from all around the continuum from 'we shouldn't have any rules' to 'we should have everybody live in bubble wrap.' We are trying to strike the right balance here with the right kinds of restrictions, adopted at the right time in the right ways," Premier Brian Pallister says.

Late last week the Premier says economic effects and mental wellbeing are considered when creating the health orders, something the Chief Public Health Officer confirms.

"We are really at this point where everyone is tired of these restrictions. This could really be our last push," Dr. Brent Roussin says, noting that he is also tired of the restrictions and disappointed in the need for stricter regulations. 

Manitoba's Chief Public Health Officer says sports and music classes for children can continue, noting Manitoba's youth will benefit from the activities. (Screenshot: Government of Manitoba/YouTube)

He says they take the least restrictive measures necessary but now is the time for the province to take stricter action. Pallister says stricter regulations are the necessary and right thing to do.

In the past seven days, 1,541 more Manitobans have been infected with COVID-19. Sixteen more people have been admitted to the hospital, including seven more people requiring intensive care. Nine people have died in the past week.

Hospitals are over-filled with COVID-19 patients, concerning the doctor. He says other medical treatments and procedures have been delayed because of this, impacting the health of non-COVID-19 patients.

Roussin says the province's trajectory is similar to November's.

"We really want that messaging that it should be unusual to see people visit private residences," Roussin says. "The private residences, the private visiting, sort of the uncontrolled areas, that is where we are seeing transmission."

The doctor is trying to target where transmissions occurring, which is largely in household gatherings.