First COVID-19 cases reported in Manitoba, Saskatchewan as virus prompts drastic measures

WINNIPEG (NEWS 1130) – Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the latest provinces to announce their first cases of COVID-19 in Canada.

In the Winnipeg Regional Health district, the patient was identified as a woman who travelled to the Phillippines. She’s currently in isolation at home.

“Seeing the transmission of this virus through many parts of the world, in Canada, and now in Manitoba, and having been declared a pandemic might give some of us a moment of pause,” Manitoba chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said. “I want to be clear that we are not helpless against this virus. Fear and panic will not help against COVID-19, but our preparedness and credible information will.”

The province has urged Manitobans to start social-distancing strategies in an effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Social-distancing strategies include not shaking hands, avoiding crowded events, and limiting exposure.

In Saskatchewan, the Ministry of Health confirmed that province’s first presumptive case of the virus on Thursday, adding the person had recently travelled to Egypt.

The patient was showing symptoms of COVID-19 and was tested for the virus in Saskatoon earlier this month. While their result came back positive, it will still need to be confirmed by Canada’s national lab.

The patient, who is about 60, has been self-isolating at home, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer said.

The latter report came as Premier Scott Moe announced he would not call an early spring election, ending speculation.

His province would focus on fighting the virus outbreak, he said.

Meanwhile, in Alberta, a downtown Calgary daycare facility was forced to shut down after a child tested positive for COVID-19. The Pump-Kin Patch Child Care Centre, which operates out of an office tower, will be closed until at least March 23, with a spokesperson for the building saying families of any kids there have been told to self-quarantine and monitor until the 20th.

The number of cases in Alberta, as is the case in other provinces, continues to rise.

Premier Jason Kenney urged Albertans and Canadians to band together to fight back against COVID-19.

“To commit to a spirit of cooperation and a national resolve to do whatever is necessary to protect Canadians’ health and their jobs and their livelihoods,” he said, adding he believes the situation will get worse before it gets better.

Several new cases were reported in B.C. on Wednesday, with a provincial update expected Thursday afternoon.

As the spread of the novel coronavirus has forced governments both in Canada and abroad to take extra steps to try and stop the outbreak, Quebec has announced several measures.

The province has asked anyone who’s returning from travel abroad to self-quarantine for two weeks. While this is not mandatory for everyone, it is for public sector workers like teachers and health care employees.

“What we want to do is prevent the crisis, so it’s all the work we did January is around this,” Quebec director of public health Dr. Horacio Arruda said. “Actually, there is 13 cases in Quebec, all coming from outside of the country. No local transmission, so actually, our focus is to lower the risk of somebody coming from elsewhere.”

The Quebec government has also announced anyone organizing indoor events that attract more than 250 people to cancel their events.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opted to self-isolate after his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, was tested for COVID-19. Grégoire Trudeau started to show symptoms — which have since subsided — late Wednesday night.

The prime minister is not showing any symptoms, but decided to stay home until his wife’s test results came back “out of an abundance of caution.”

There have now been more than 100 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Canada since the outbreak began, including one death. A man in his 80s who was living in a care home died in B.C. Sunday.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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