Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 15, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A1 Thank You ESSENTIAL WORKERS � CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: MAINLY SUNNY. HIGH 0 - LOW -7 � WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020 FOUNDED IN 1872 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS VIRTUAL REALITY Instructors wrestle with ways to prevent cheating as exams begin / A4 DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL Some Roman Catholic churches offering drive-thru service to cleanse the soul / B1 'NOT BEEN TREATED PROPERLY' Trump cuts WHO funding / B8 GATHER... YOUR WITS Local MD explains why 'driveway parties' - even two metres apart - are not safe / C1 T HERE'S a crack of daylight at theend of the long COVID-19 tunnelas Manitobans continue to bene- fit from their stay-at-home, physical- distancing efforts. The province's chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said if the province's coronavirus infection num- bers remain low, authorities could start rolling back restrictions "very care- fully" in the "relatively near future." On Tuesday, Manitoba reported no new additional cases of the virus. The average number of new cases per day over the past week has been under six. The total number of active cases in Manitoba (positive tests, minus recoveries and deaths) stood at 142. That number has also been stable in recent days. Roussin placed several caveats Tuesday on any possible start to the gradual reopening of business and so- ciety in general, but planning for that welcome occurrence is well underway. Premier Brian Pallister said there have been "numerous discussions" at the government level about which specific sectors of the economy could begin to restart. "There are plans to see our economy rebound. We're working very diligent- ly on that," he said Tuesday, while be- ing careful to add that the health and well-being of Manitobans come first. There's the danger that by moving too quickly to remove or ease public health orders the virus could very well bounce back, he said. The federal and provincial govern- ments have been holding discussions about reopening the national economy in stages, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canadians can assume that the current restric- tions will be in place for weeks. On Monday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said if COVID-19 case numbers remain low next week, the province might unveil a plan to re- open segments of the economy in that province. Roussin spoke carefully Tuesday about any easing of restrictions in Manitoba. The day before, he warned Manito- bans could face tougher controls on their behaviour to prevent a surge of the virus before any gradual easing of public health orders takes place. Before controls are lessened, Roussin said he will want to see a downward trend in active COVID-19 cases and be assured there's hospital capacity to deal with any spikes in very sick patients, among other factors. (On Tuesday, nine coronavirus patients were in hospital, including four in intensive care.) "It's certainly nice to see a number of days like this," he remarked. If there's another week of good news, "then that's going to make us think of what sort of things we could do to ease some of the restrictions without compromising our gains," Roussin said. The province is now contemplating how it might begin easing restrictions. "We have work underway right now looking at various sectors," the chief public health officer said. "Probably the first area would be in the business restrictions and which sectors could we loosen up on and how." How well Manitobans followed the strict public health orders over the recent long weekend could be a key factor in determining how soon re- strictions are eased. The results won't be known for another seven to 10 days or so. 'Nice to see a number of days like this' LARRY KUSCH PREMIER Brian Pallister is telling Mani- toba's public service unions the only way they can avoid layoffs amid the novel coronavirus pandemic is to accept reduced workweeks for non-essential employees. The premier raised the issue of a reduced work schedule Tuesday morning, when he an- nounced the province will cover the salaries of front-line health-care workers who miss work for 14 days to self-isolate if they have been exposed to COVID-19. The reduced workweek is an "all-hands-on- deck approach to fighting COVID-19," Pallister said. The news was a jolt for unions that have been at loggerheads with the Pallister-led Tory gov- ernment for most of the four years it has been in power. "We were told that the only way to avoid significant layoffs would be to voluntarily enter into work-sharing agreements, where non-essential staff would have their workweek reduced to as little as two days per week," said Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employ- ees' Union. Provincial officials were unable to say which public services they consider non-essential, Gawronsky said. Affected workers would get employment insurance for the lost work days, she said. For those who earn less than $54,000 annually, that would mean keeping about 70 per cent of their pay and avoiding a layoff. It would only be possible if Ottawa agreed to make the province eligible for the EI program, she said. The premier told reporters the plan is required in order to shift resources to where they're needed most: the health-care system and fighting COVID-19. T HE question everyone should be asking Premier Brian Pallister: why?Why would he raise the prospect of lay- ing off Manitoba civil servants at such a deli- cate stage of the economic lockdown prompted by the global COVID-19 pandemic? The plan as outlined Tuesday is still vague. Pallister said he would negotiate with union leaders soon on what amounts to a variation on the federal employment insurance job-sharing program: two to three days of paid work and the remainder of the workweek to be covered by EI. It amounts to an overall 25 per cent salary cut. Historically, those who work in the public sector have not been allowed to access job sharing. A Manitoba official, who spoke on back- ground, said Ottawa has already agreed to extend the program to all non-core public servants, covering Crown corporations, govern- ment business enterprises, school divisions (excluding teachers), and post-secondary insti- tutions (excluding professors and instructors). However, those who work directly for govern- ment - so-called core employees - are still excluded. Pallister met with union leaders Tuesday to ask for help in lobbying Ottawa to further ex- pand job sharing to include core civil servants. Lurking in the background was a clear threat of layoffs if the unions don't help out. Whether the premier would resort to actual layoffs is hard to determine. Some employees of Crown corporations, including casino workers, have already been laid off. Would he cut deeper into the ranks of the civil service? CAROL SANDERS Pallister's latest pandemic plan: cut public jobs MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister calls proposed reduced workweeks for public-sector employees 'far preferable in our minds to layoffs.' Many questions remain, union leaders say. Layoffs or work reductions is premier's ultimatum Layoffs could haunt Manitoba in long term OPINION With COVID-19 infection numbers low again, rules could soon be relaxed: top doctor ? RULES, CONTINUED ON A2 ? LETT, CONTINUED ON A2 DAN LETT ? ULTIMATUM, CONTINUED ON A2 A_01_Apr-15-20_FP_01.indd A1 2020-04-14 11:03 PM ;