18 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Manitoba on Saturday

A possible exposure to the novel coronavirus was announced at another Winnipeg school on Saturday. A person with COVID-19 was at Gordon Bell High School at 3 Borrowman Pl. on Thursday morning and afternoon, the release says.

No close contacts have been identified at the school, and the person got the illness outside of school. The exposure risk is assessed to be low, the province’s release says.

The school has closed off areas used by the person in question and won’t use them again until after they’ve been cleaned, the release says.

A letter about the exposure has been sent to parents, the province says. Aside from the person with COVID-19, no one at the school needs to self-isolate.

Saturday’s news release again highlighted the “concerning” increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Winnipeg, with officials urging people in the city to stick to the fundamentals, including washing hands and staying home when sick.

Winnipeg’s active caseload again reached a new height on Saturday, according to provincial data, with a total of 252 cases — making up more than three-quarters of the province’s 331.

New cases at Fisher River

Meanwhile, three new cases of COVID-19 have been identified on the Fisher River Cree Nation, according to statements signed by Chief David Crate and leadership on the community’s website on Friday.

The update brings the number of cases identified on the First Nation to four, the latest statement from the First Nation said.

Manitoba’s five-day test positivity rate, a rolling average of the number of COVID-19 tests that come back positive, is down slightly to 1.6 per cent, the provincial government’s news release says.

There are now 10 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Manitoba, including three in intensive care.

To date, a total of 1,558 cases of the illness have been detected in the province; 1,211 of those people have recovered and 16 have died, the release says.

Premier self-monitoring

Earlier on Saturday, a spokesperson for Brian Pallister said the premier is watching for symptoms of COVID-19 after meeting with Quebec’s premier, who is now self-isolating after coming into contact with a confirmed case of the illness.

Pallister had a “working lunch” with Quebec Premier François Legault and other Conservative premiers in Ottawa on Friday, a spokesperson for Pallister’s office said in an emailed statement to CBC News.

Legault announced later on Friday that he is voluntarily self-isolating after meeting one-on-one with federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole on Monday.

He made the announcement after O’Toole announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Pallister did not meet with O’Toole while in Ottawa, the premier’s spokesperson said. All public health protocols were followed, including wearing masks and physical distancing, at the premiers’ meeting, the spokesperson added.

Members of Pallister’s team are also self-monitoring for symptoms of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, the spokesperson said.

Pallister and Legault, along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, were in Ottawa on Friday to push the federal government for $28 billion in additional funding to cover rising health-care costs.

On Friday, Pallister said it was important to be in Ottawa before the upcoming throne speech, scheduled for Sept. 23.

“The fact is we’re going to have to learn to live with COVID and do our jobs safely, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here,” he said on CBC’s As It Happens. “My plan is to stay on. I have a number of meetings next week on other topics as well.”

On Friday, 1,488 more COVID-19 tests were done in Manitoba, bringing the total done in the province to 162,961.