Three new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Manitoba, bringing the province's total to 253.

Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin made the announcement at a news conference Saturday morning.

Seven Manitobans are in hospital with the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Four of those patients are in intensive care units, he said.

Roussin said 140 people in the province have recovered from COVID-19, and 108 cases are considered active.

Friday was the first time since the virus was detected in Manitoba that the province's number of recovered cases surpassed its active cases.

(CBC)

Manitoba's Cadham lab did 340 tests for COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of tests done in the province to 19,193.

Roussin said many Manitobans heeded warnings about not going to large gatherings to celebrate Easter and Passover earlier this month. He said he hopes to extend that warning to celebrations for Ramadan, which starts next week.

"I want to wish all Muslim Manitobans a happy Ramadan, but remind everyone this year that celebrations will occur differently," he said. "These are difficult decisions … but for this immediate future, we need to change the way we do things."

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He encouraged people to connect virtually instead of getting together in person.

WATCH | Dr. Brent Roussin thanks Manitobans who heeded warnings about avoiding large Easter celebrations and asked for the same as Ramadan begins:

Dr. Brent Roussin thanked Manitobans who heeded warnings about avoiding large Easter celebrations and asked for the same as Ramadan begins. 1:19

Roussin said the relatively low number of cases recently could be a sign that physical distancing measures in the province are working. He said he's confident that people will continue following public health instructions.

"Right from the beginning, Manitobans have been open to our interventions," Roussin said. "We know it's challenging, but Manitobans are persevering."

(CBC)

He said the province is looking into when Manitoba can start lifting some of the measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, and what that might look like.

"It would obviously be done very cautiously and very slowly, based on the numbers," he said. "As we open up the economy, we have to ensure that our numbers aren't climbing too quickly."

WATCH | Dr. Brent Roussin says the province is looking into when Manitoba can start lifting some of the measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19:

Dr. Brent Roussin says the province is looking into when Manitoba can start lifting some of the measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, but cautions on acting too soon. 0:43

Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa reminded people on Saturday that while wearing a mask can help prevent spreading the coronavirus to others, it should not make people feel like they can ignore other public health measures like washing their hands and practising physical distancing.

"It's important to recognize that these masks are often homemade," Siragusa said, adding that means they are likely not up to the same standards as medical-grade masks worn by health-care workers.

"Wearing them should not change your behaviour when you're around others."

She said people should be washing their hands before putting their masks on and after taking them off, and that masks should not be shared.

(CBC)

People should also avoid touching their faces when wearing masks, she said, and be careful when taking them off because they could be contaminated.

Masks should be immediately put into a bag or into the laundry after being worn, Siragusa said, and used masks should be washed in hot water and thoroughly dried.

Siragusa said the province is also looking into increasing the number of diagnostic tests and surgeries being done in Manitoba, after some procedures were cancelled in anticipation of a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Roussin also reminded Manitobans on Saturday that health officials have expanded COVID-19 testing criteria to include people with symptoms who work or volunteer at places deemed essential services.

People with symptoms who live with a health-care worker, first responder or worker in a correctional facility, shelter, long-term care or residential facility are also now eligible to be tested.

(CBC)

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