Manitoba Reopens: Phase 1
We have posted many updates on this site and the pandemic has progressed. Like you, we are following news from around the world to monitor the situation and to provide advice to our clients. We have given interviews with the Winnipeg Free Press. We are concerned, for example, for our clients in Ecuador and Nigeria. Each jurisdiction has been handling this crisis differently, to various levels of success. Here in Canada, I am extremely proud of how our government has handled this extreme situation. By all accounts, Canada has been faring much better than the USA, even on a per capita basis.
In Canada, Manitoba has done very well. We have very few cases and testing is easy. One of my staff was tested at a drive-through centre (negative) and results are available quickly. There is a screening tool and the province announced today they have a new website where anyone who is tested can access their results online. Easy and quick.
In a 34 page report, Manitoba has outlined 5 factors to determine when to reopen the province:
- LAB POSITIVITY RATE
- ACTIVE COVID-19 CASES
- HOSPITAL BEDS IN USE
- COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
- PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
I am no medical expert, of course; however, I fully support the Manitoba government and we can be extremely proud of their work.
We get calls every day from folks who want to come to Manitoba for a better life. With good governance, it is understandable that many people took to Canada as the best place on earth.
It is a given that the future is uncertain. My staff will tell you that I often say, “hope for the best, plan for the worst”. In this case, it is not clear we will have a vaccine in 2020. It is more likely the vaccine will not come until 2021 or possibly 2022. We need to plan for the worst.
We remain open and we continue to work on behalf of our clients. Stay safe. Stay healthy.