The Government of Manitoba is extending the state of emergency for the fifth time. 

First announced on March 20, the province has been in a state of emergency for almost six months and is now set to end in October. The latest announcement will bring Manitoba into its seventh month of health and safety-related orders.

"The Manitoba government will extend the provincewide state of emergency under The Emergency Measures Act to continue to protect the health and safety of all Manitobans and reduce the spread of COVID-19," the province says in a statement. 

Extensions had previously been announced on April 18, May 17, June 15 and July 14, and August 12.

"The declaration enables the government to act quickly on a broad range of supportive measures to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to allow for greater flexibility during the pandemic and give Manitobans the time they need to work around the interruptions this pandemic has caused," the province's website says.

The new 30-day extension will take effect at four p.m. on Thursday, September 10.

The new end date means the province will be under the state of emergency for over 200 days from March 20 to the end of the latest extension on October 10.

The province says the state allows "the powers set out in section 10(1) and 10(2) of The Emergency Measures Act to enable the province to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic." Gatherings sizes and other pubic health orders are not affected by the extension.

The state of emergency does not affect the current public health orders, which are issued by the Chief Provincial Public Health Officer under The Public Health Act. 

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