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MLA Report - March 25, 2020

COVID-19 response in the North
danielle adams column headshot

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm, literally. It has known no geographical boundaries and has made its presence known in Canada. Manitoba has been no exception as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise.  

In efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), many public spaces across the province have been closed. 

Some steps we can all take to protect ourselves and others include social distancing, avoiding social gatherings, washing hands, and disinfecting frequently used surfaces. Refer to the province of Manitoba’s COVID-19 site at https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/index.html for more information.

Currently, daycare centres and schools will be closed from Friday, March 20 to Friday, April 10. Childcare services are still available for essential service workers, please reference the link above for more information. 

Three testing stations have now opened in Northern Manitoba: Thompson, Flin Flon and The Pas. The Thompson testing centre is located at the Northern  Health Regional Authority (NHRA) clinic in the Plaza mall and it is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prior to getting tested call Health Links or use Shared Health’s online screening tool at https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/.  

Other communities in our area are concerned about whether they will be able to access these testing centres in a timely manner. There is a need for more testing centres to be placed in smaller northern communities. Northerners are concerned and want the government to  ensure that the NRHA is well equipped to serve them in this time. 

My NDP team and I supported the Emergency Appropriation Bill which allowed the government to release funds ($35.2 million) to purchase more medical supplies to protect frontline workers and those presenting with symptoms from spreading or receiving the virus. 

This is an unprecedented situation and as things continue to evolve day by day, I encourage you all to do your part by staying home and practising social distancing. If you have been impacted by job loss during this time or have any other question or concerns regarding this current situation please call my office at 204-677-2744 or email me at danielle.adams@yourmanitoba.ca. For further questions or concerns about COVID-19 contact Health Links at 204-788-8200 or toll free at 1-888-315-9527.

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