Manitoba ending all COVID-19 restrictions by March 15

Manitoba has announced it is speeding up the relaxing of public health orders in the province, with a plan to have all orders in the province, including proof of vaccination requirements and the mask mandate, removed by March 15.

Manitoba has announced it is speeding up the relaxing of public health orders in the province, with a plan to have all orders in the province, including proof of vaccination requirements and the mask mandate, removed by March 15.

Premier Heather Stefanson and Dr. Brent Roussin made the announcement Friday morning, noting the first stage of lifting restrictions will take place on Feb. 15.

Calling the last two years “challenging,” Stefanson said the province is “offering hope” to Manitobans waiting a long time for an end to pandemic restrictions.

“Manitobans have put their lives on hold, and it’s time that we give them their lives back,” she said.

Roussin said based on provincial data, Omicron has peaked in the province and is beginning to subside.

“Just like many times in this pandemic, we’ve had to shift our response based on what we’re seeing with the virus,” he said. “As a result of what we’re seeing now, with the trends and the modelling, we are in a very important transitional phase for the COVID-19 response here.”

Provincial data was not provided during the press conference.