Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 12, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A1 CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH -1 - LOW -11 � SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020 FOUNDED IN 1872 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS WAGE SUBSIDY PASSES Canada's parliament approved a $73-billion wage-subsidy program Saturday / A4 'EASTER OFFERS HOPE' Pope Francis urged his followers to have hope at a late-night mass Saturday / A5 HOMEGROWN SOLUTION The province is asking local companies to produce reusable N95 masks / A3 MIDWEST ON ALERT As the death toll in the U.S. passed 20,000 Saturday, states in the Midwest braced for a surge in new cases / A5 AMIDST reports of some Mani-tobans heading out of town to soak in the holiday weekend, the province's top public health officer once again urged residents to stay home, refrain from family gatherings and cancel all non-essential travel, as the province moves into a critical stage of COVID-19's pandemic arc. On Saturday, chief public health offi- cer Dr. Brent Roussin acknowledged that visiting the cabin and having no contact with anyone else is "essentially low risk." But if a person were to become sick, it could strain already-limited health care resources in rural jurisdictions; even the trip itself may increase potential for virus transmission. "Travelling to the cottage may mean an extra stop at the gas station, it may mean an extra stop at the grocery store," Roussin said, during the daily COVID-19 news briefing on Saturday afternoon. "Certainly, Manitobans can use their judgment in many circumstances, but the overall messaging is to stay home." Meanwhile, Roussin also cautioned against the practice of getting together with friends or family at parks, even if everyone involved maintains the recommended two-metre distance be- tween individuals. While getting fresh air is healthy, he said, that should still be done with the spirit of the "stay home" messaging in mind. "I don't think any large gatherings, even maintaining that appropriate dis- tance, is what we're looking for right now," he said. "Do so virtually. Right now we're just in this vital aspect of our curve. I think the best thing we can do is minimize contact with others in person. These strict measures will keep this curve down." These cautions came after Roussin announced 13 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 243. So far, 96 Manitobans have recovered from the virus, and the active case load sits at 143. Eight people were in hospital as of Saturday - three fewer than Friday - with five of those in intensive care. None of the newly-announced cases were health care workers, Roussin said. Although the active case load ticked up from Friday's low of 134, it is still below the week's high of 149. The health care system is able to absorb these figures: emergency visits are down, chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said, and hospital beds, including in ICU, are at about 70 per cent capcity, which is lower than usual. "We've asked Manitobans to take significant precautions for a number of weeks, and we may be seeing some of those benefits paying off," Roussin said. Stay home for long weekend, Roussin urges Top public health officer reminds Manitobans to stay put, 13 new cases of COVID-19 announced Dr. Brent Roussin ? COVID-19 CONTINUED ON A3 Red River flood levels 'something we can handle' MANITOBA'S municipal leaders in the Red River basin share a cautious optimism that the flood risk remains low, but refuse to lower their guard. And they watch with great inter- est at what's happening south of the border. High water is pushing its way from North Dakota, which has flood warnings in effect in several areas. Flooding has forced the closure of a 40-kilometre stretch of Interstate 29 in both directions from the Manvel to Grafton exits. Several bridges around Grand Forks are inaccessible, and the water is high enough to cut off the North Dakota hamlet of Oslo, which is old news for the 300 residents protected annually by a ring dike. Indeed, it's a scene that's played out many times before, and isn't causing Emerson-Franklin Reeve David Carlson any sleepless nights quite yet. "At this point it looks like it's definitely something we can handle. We've done our preliminary dike closures in Emerson in a couple of spots, which is pretty standard," Carlson said Saturday. "The big concern will be some road washouts, flooding into the farmland and de- bris that's left behind, which really delays harvest. The debris is a real pain in the neck. Farmers have to clean out fields and we have to clear out ditches and it's a real inconve- nience. "But if things stay as they are right now, we're pretty confident things should be fine." In St. Norbert, nothing will be left to chance. Of the 57 properties identified as high-risk to flooding this spring, 31 are in that ward. St. Norbert councillor and deputy mayor Markus Chambers, who joined a large, enthusiastic crew of volunteer sandbaggers Thursday at properties on St. Pierre Street, said the mood was entirely upbeat. "People were so positive, really excited to help out. It's the typical Winnipeg story, people wanting to offer support," said Chambers. "I also think people are tired of being cooped up" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chambers said about 4,700 bags were placed in four hours to protect one home. Volunteers stood one to two metres apart, using a 'zig-zag pattern' on the assembly line. About half of participants wore masks. Earlier this month, Manitoba's Emergency Measures Office released a guide to sandbagging during the pandemic. Among other options, it suggested using two- person teams to build small dikes, with workers alternating trips to the sandbag stockpile. For large efforts, it proposed using a "carousel" of workers staggered 10 feet apart, to circle between the stockpile and the dike. At a news briefing Saturday, the province's chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said hand sanitizer should be available on-site for sand- bag workers. In areas which make physical distancing difficult, workers could also wear non-medical masks to reduce the risk they might unknow- ingly spread the virus to others, he added. "Like other critical-type services, they have to go on," he said. "I've reviewed some plans and they're actu- ally quite good and they do allow for physical distancing. Our messaging is, again, stay home if you're ill, even mild symptoms. They're going to have hand sanitizer around to ensure good hand hygiene." JASON BELL DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Riverwalk along the Assiniboine River west of The Forks is closed due to high water levels. With Red River water levels rising, sandbagging operations have started at properties at a high risk of flooding. ? FLOODING CONTINUED ON A3 MELISSA MARTIN A_01_Apr-12-20_FP_01.indd A1 2020-04-11 9:56 PM ;