Manitoba announces retail capacity restrictions for Southern Health Region

The Manitoba government has just announced new proactive measures intended to safeguard the health system and add a further motivation for those that remain unvaccinated in the province.

Retail restrictions in the Southern Health Region as of Tuesday, October 5 

As of 12:01 am on Tuesday, October 5, retail stores across most of Manitoba will remain at 100% of capacity. 

However, those retail stores operating in the Southern Health Region must reduce their capacity to 50% of fire code, in response to the disproportionately high number of cases in several communities with low vaccination rates.

Additionally, retail stores are also expected to continue to support the mandatory mask requirement and maintain physical distancing practices that continue as a part of the current health order.

Additional restrictions targeting unvaccinated people

Vaccine passport requirements remain in place for a number of businesses and services including restaurants, movie theatres, fitness centres, indoor sporting, and others. 

However, under the new health orders, unvaccinated individuals who are eligible to be vaccinated will now face more restrictions. These limitations include:

• limiting private indoor gatherings to guests from one other household when any unvaccinated person is in attendance;
• limiting private outdoor gatherings to 10 guests when any unvaccinated person is in attendance;
• reducing indoor public gathering group sizes to 25 people or 25 per cent capacity, whichever is lower, for gatherings that include unvaccinated people, including weddings and funerals; and
• setting indoor group sizes for faith-based gatherings to 25 people or 33 per cent capacity, whichever is greater, for gatherings that include unvaccinated people.

RCC remains in ongoing daily discussions with senior members of the government and appreciates the decision to not introduce more restrictive measures on the retail sector that were being initially considered.