Sioux Lookout – The Northwest Health Unit reports that, “The province of Manitoba has moved to the critical (red) level in their pandemic response system. Rates of COVID-19 in Manitoba are the highest in the country.”
As a result, the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) urges the public not to travel to or from Manitoba unless it is for an essential purpose.
Anyone who has travelled to Manitoba or is coming into our region from Manitoba should stay home and not interact with anyone outside of their household for 14 days after entering northwestern Ontario. If someone who has travelled to or from Manitoba gets symptoms of COVID-19 within 14 days of entering our region, they should self-isolate and get tested. Household members of that individual should also self-isolate until the test results are received.
“Interacting with someone who has recently been in Manitoba puts you at a higher risk for COVID-19. To protect our communities, anyone who has travelled to or from Manitoba should stay at home and not interact with anyone outside of their household for 14 days after arriving in northwestern Ontario,” Dr. Kit Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health at NWHU says.
Following this recommendation may not be possible for individuals who are travelling for essential reasons such as medical services, to facilitate shared parenting arrangements, or if travelling for essential employment like health care, transportation, or law enforcement. “Those who have been in Manitoba for essential reasons should minimize interacting with anyone outside of their household as much as is reasonably possible for 14 days on entering Northwestern Ontario,” Dr. Young Hoon continues.
NWHU also recommends that residents avoid all non-essential travel outside of northwestern Ontario. Anyone who travels to a high-risk area is asked to follow the above advice as well. To determine what is defined as a “high-risk area”, the public can visit these webpages:
- For Ontario
- For other provinces, review provincial webpages
For more information call their COVID-19 hotline at 1-866-468-2240.
