All non-essential businesses will be required to close between April 1 and April 14.

“These decisions are not easy ones,” says Premier Brian Pallister, “but they must be made during this global pandemic to protect the health and safety of all Manitobans.”

The measure is being taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 which now sits at 96 lab-confirmed and probable positive cases provincially. Under the Public Health Act

The chief provincial public health officer is issuing the following orders under The Public Health Act:

All restaurants will be prohibited from serving food to customers on their premises, though takeout will be permitted assuming the facility puts proper physical distancing parameters in place.

All businesses that are not listed in the schedule of critical services that accompany the order must close for the first fourteen days of April. 

- This closure order does not prevent these businesses from operating on a remote basis.
- A business may accept orders on the Internet, or over the phone for delivery or pickup, as long as the employees are not working at the place of business.
- The order does not prevent employees or others from coming into the business to perform repairs, to provide security services or to take out items from the business premises if the business is going to operate on a remote basis.
- Nothing in the order restricts the operations of delivery of services by the federal or provincial governments or a municipality.
- Nothing in the order restricts any activities of a publicly funded agency, organization or authority that delivers or supports government operations or services including health-care services. This means the order does not affect institutions, agencies and other service providers who provide health-care services such as hospitals, regional health authorities and private agencies who provide a range of health services.

Meanwhile, municipal transit services and taxis can continue to operate. However, the operator of the vehicle is being asked to implement a reasonable separation of people in their vehicle.

“Manitobans have always pulled together in a time of crisis and this is no different,” states Pallister. “We must continue to do whatever we can to support each other.”

The list of public health orders and the schedule of critical services can be found online at www.manitoba.ca/covid19/soe.html.

Read more: Complete List Of Manitoba Essential Businesses