UPDATE: Manitoba's new health orders include public indoor gatherings, larger outdoor groups

There will be different health orders for Manitobans to follow coming this weekend, one order for everyone, as well as extra privileges for those who are fully vaccinated.

Strong hints have been dropped this week for the first stages of reopening Manitoba, and on Wednesday, those hints will lead to new orders.

Manitoba's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Brent Roussin and Premier Brian Pallister are sharing the latest Public Health Orders during an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday. The current orders expire at midnight on Saturday.

"This is a good news day for Manitobans," Pallister says. "We are going to be reopening Manitoba early, beginning June the 26th."

The Premier says it is time for Manitobans to be getting some of their freedoms back, thanks to declining COVID-19 cases and rising vaccination uptake.

"Today is that ray of hope, that light at the end of the tunnel," Roussin says.

Changes

Manitoba's Health Orders are slightly loosening this weekend, province-wide.

Orders for all include:

outdoor gathering sizes on private property to double to 10 persons, and to allow outdoor visitors to briefly access homes for essential activities (e.g. to use a washroom);
public outdoor gathering sizes to increase to 25 persons
retail businesses to open with increased capacity at 25 per cent to a limit of 250 persons, with no restrictions on the number of household members permitted to shop together
personal service businesses (hair and nail salons, estheticians, barbers, etc.) to reopen at 50 per cent capacity, on an appointment basis only
restaurants and bars to reopen at 25 per cent capacity for indoors and 50 per cent for outdoor dining. For indoor dining, patrons seated together must be from the same household unless all patrons at the table are fully immunized. Patrons who are fully immunized and from different households may dine together. For outdoor dining, tables are limited to a maximum of 8 patrons and can be from different households regardless of immunization status
indoor faith-based services and organized community gatherings (e.g. pow wows, sun dance ceremonies) to resume at 25 per cent capacity to a limit of 25 persons with masks worn at all times
outdoor faith-based and organized community gatherings (e.g. pow wows, sun dance ceremonies) to resume for up to 50 persons, provided distance can be maintained between households. Drive-in services continue to be permitted
outdoor weddings and funerals may take place with up to 25 participants, in addition to photographer and officiants. Indoor weddings and funerals remain limited to 10 persons
indoor dance, music, theatre and other organized sports and recreation activities may reopen at 25 per cent capacity to a limit of five persons, with no tournaments allowed
outdoor dance, music and theatre classes and other organized recreation activities may reopen for groups up to 25 people, with no tournaments allowed
swimming and wading pools, both indoor and outdoor, may reopen at 25 per cent capacity
gyms and fitness facilities may reopen for individual and group fitness classes at 25 per cent capacity with three metres distance maintained between patrons
summer day camps may reopen to a maximum of 20 participants in groups

Fully immunized people can:

visit loved ones in personal care homes or hospitals;
participate in social or communal activities, if you are a resident of a personal care home or congregate living facility;
travel domestically for essential and non-essential purposes outside of Manitoba without the requirement to self-isolate on their return; and,
dine indoors at restaurants and bars with other fully immunized friends and family from outside your household.

"Large-scale, outdoor professional sports or performing arts events may also allow fully immunized Manitobans to attend, subject to approval by Manitoba Public Health. The province will work with sports and arts organizations to implement proof of vaccination protocols for these events," the province says in a statement.

More openings for fully-vaccinated Manitobans will be announced by Pallister next week.

"Additional benefits for fully immunized Manitobans will be announced in July, including increasing capacity for fully immunized people at weddings, funerals, faith-based and other gatherings, based on continued vaccination rate increases and improvements in the province’s overall COVID-19 situation," the province says in a statement.

These orders will be in place until August 2.

Earlier

Throughout the week the doctor, as well as the Finance Minister have hinted at reopenings this weekend.

"We have met our vaccine targets ahead of schedule. Our rollout continues to move quite nicely," Roussin says in a Monday press conference. "We haven't made that decision exactly yet on what the specifics will be, so stay tuned for Wednesday and we will have some of those specifics to share."

In one week, both Manitoba's and Winnipeg's five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate has dropped by 3.3 per cent. Of all Manitobans aged 12 and older who have received their first COVID-19 vaccine and 26.9 per cent their second, bringing the province over its first 4-3-2-One Great Summer Reopening Path's goal.

According to the path's outline, businesses will reopen at 25 per cent but which businesses, and if this will happen, have not yet been announced.

"I can emphasis that it will be a promising day," Finance Minister Scott Fielding says during a Tuesday press conference about business news on Wednesday. "I think what we can do is make sure we have a plan that is safe, that Dr. Roussin will outline tomorrow, that will allow businesses to get back to doing what they do best."

Fielding says later this week there will be another announcement to support Manitobans going back to work.