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Manitoba’s curve remains flat as the number of novel coronavirus cases has risen by only one.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial health officer, said the number of cases in Manitoba now stands at 255 on Tuesday. Six people have died.

There are currently seven people in hospital, with four in ICU, 150 people are recovered and there are 99 active cases.

"Our low numbers should not indicate to you that our risk is lower," Dr. Roussin says. Notes all health regions are seeing COVID-19. "To continue our progress, we need to continue with those social distancing strategies." #glbwpg — Diana Foxall (@CJOBdiana) April 21, 2020

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Cadham Provincial Laboratory performed 314 tests on Monday. A total of 20,319 tests have been performed since early February.

On Monday, Premier Brian Pallister extended the province’s state of emergency declaration for another 30 days to May 18.

One more death related to COVID-19 was also announced Monday, a woman in her 80s, bringing Manitoba’s total to six.

The province expanded their testing criteria Monday as well, and Roussin said people who are symptomatic and match those criteria should get tested.

"Our capacity is higher than the number of samples we've been receiving," Dr. Roussin says. #glbwpg — Diana Foxall (@CJOBdiana) April 21, 2020

Roussin again said it’s not time to let up on social distancing strategies and noted that Manitoba is six weeks behind other jurisdictions for novel coronavirus cases.

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Three zones

The province now has new guidelines for Personal Protective Equipment, and all workers are being sorted into three zones.

green zones, which are settings and situations involving care or service for individuals who are not considered COVID-19 suspects;

orange zones, which are settings and situations involving care or service for individuals who meet the criteria for COVID-19 testing, AND who have been tested AND whose results are pending; and

red zones, which are settings and situations involving care or service for individuals who have been tested and confirmed to have COVID-19.

Those in the red zones would need full PPE gear head to toe, those in a green zone would wear gloves and perhaps a mask, and those in the orange zone would be somewhere in the middle, said Lanette Siragusa of Shared Health.

The goal is to preserve PPE for health care workers most at risk, she added.

“We will keep adapting to this virus, this spread, and we will stay in it together,” she said. Tweet This

People who enter a health-care facility should now wear a cloth mask to protect others, well as when they use public transit, handi-transit or a taxi. Siragusa also noted the importance of preserving medical-grade protective gear for health care workers on the front line of the pandemic.

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Dr. Brent Roussin says they aren’t looking at making it mandatory to wear face masks in public, like what has been done in other parts of the world.

“A cloth mask, although it doesn’t protect the person wearing them, it might have some added protection for the people around them” Roussin said. “Right now it’s not something we’re looking at as far as [making it] mandatory as far as our public health order goes, but as things develop we’re always reviewing.”

Dr. Roussin says the province is still looking at how to enforce the restrictions for northern travel. Says Manitobans have been following other public health orders well without any fines being issued. "If need be, we have a number of options to enforce things." #glbwpg — Diana Foxall (@CJOBdiana) April 21, 2020

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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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