54 new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba as police officer, corrections staff test positive

There are 54 new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba on Sunday, according to a provincial news release.

Of those cases, 40 are in the Winnipeg health region, seven are in the Southern Health region, five are in the Interlake-Eastern health region and two are in the Prairie Mountain Health region.

Meanwhile, the province is confirming a "small number of staff" at three correctional facilities Headingley, Milner Ridge and the Winnipeg Remand Centre have tested positive for COVID-19. Inmates are being tested who may have been exposed, although the risk is assessed as low.

No outbreaks have been declared.

Police officer tests positive

A Winnipeg police officer has also tested positivefor COVID-19.

The officer, who works in the service centre in the downtown headquarters where people report crimes, getcriminal record checks and do fingerprintingwas last in the office on Oct. 2 and 3, and the morning of Oct. 5, according to a news release issued by the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) on Sunday.

Const. Jay Murraywith thePublic Information Office says a positive test was something police were prepared for.

"The reality is our members live in Winnipeg, they work in Winnipeg and they spend a lot of time in Winnipeg, and the COVID virus is certainly something that's affecting all of us. It's not something that we wanted to seea positive testbut it's nonetheless something that we prepared for," he said.

Anyone who is identified as a close contact will be contacted by public health officials and advised what to do, he added.

Murray says staff are required to wear masks, there are hand sanitizer stations throughout the buildingand glass barriers are in place at the service centre.

This comes after the province saw the highestone-day jump in new cases on Saturday with 97just a day after the previous record was set.

One more employee at Winnipeg's Beacon Hill Lodge Long Term Care Home has now tested positive for COVID-19, said a spokesperson for Revera, the company that runs the site.

That brings the total number of people infected at the care home to six: three residents and three staff members, according toa statement from Dr. Rhonda Collins, Revera's chief medical officer.

Two more deaths were reported Saturday. The women from Winnipegone in her 90s, the other in her 80sbrought the total number of deaths related to the illness in Manitoba to 32.

As of Sunday, there are 1,063 active cases, and 1,483 people have recovered from COVID-19.

Lab testing numbers show 2,969 tests were completed yesterday.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 3.1 per cent, up from 3 per cent the day before.

COVID-19 exposures at 5schools

Public health officials are warning of possible COVID-19 exposures at five more Manitoba schools:

• Bird's Hill School in East St. Paulbetween Sept. 30,Oct. 1 and 2.
• cole Heritage Immersion in St. Pierre-Jolyson Sept. 29 and 30.
• North Memorial School in Portage la Prairie between Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 1, 2 and 5.
• Elwick Community School in Winnipeg on Oct. 5.
• St. Joseph the Worker School in Winnipeg on Oct. 1 and 2 from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Officials say none of the people acquired the novel coronavirus at school.

Close contacts at all schools will be contacted directly by public health, though a letter to parents and guardians of students at St. Joseph the Worker says no close contacts at that school have been identified, meaning no one else is required to self-isolate.

There was also a possible exposure at the Fit For Less gym at 1399 McPhillips Street in Winnipeg on Oct. 2 from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Oct. 3 from 3:30 p.m.to 4:45 p.m.

Possible exposures were also reported Sunday linked to the following transit routes in Winnipeg and Brandon:

• Winnipeg Transit Routes 78 and 22 (from Waverley at McGillivray to Polo Park, and from Polo Park to Portage at St. Charles) on Oct. 9, fromapproximately 4:25 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. and approximately 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
• Winnipeg Transit Routes 66 and 78 (from Portageat St. Charles to Grant at Cambridge, and from Cambridge at Mathers to Waverley at McGillivray) on Oct. 9, fromapproximately 6:20 a.m. to 6:47 a.m. and approximately 6:54 a.m. to 7 a.m.
• Brandon Transit Route 17 (from Princess and 11th Street to 10th Street and Queens) on Oct. 4 and 6 at around 5:30 p.m.

People who are feeling symptomatic can still be tested over the long weekend.On Thanksgiving Monday, these COVID-19 testingsites will be open:

• 1181 Portage Ave. in Winnipeg.
• 1284 Main St. in Winnipeg.
• 2735 Pembina Highway in Winnipeg.
• 604 St. Mary's Rd. in Winnipeg.
• Van Horne location drive-thru site (entrance off of Van Horne Avenue E.) in Brandon.
• 622 Superior Ave. in Selkirk.
• Eriksdale Wellness Centre, 35 Railway Ave. in Eriksdale.
• Pine Falls Health Complex,37 Maple St. in Pine Falls.
• Southland Mall,R10-777 Norquay Dr. in Winkler.
• 365 Reimer Ave. in Steinbach.
• Portage Avenue and Fifth Street S.E. in Portage la Prairie.

Across Canada, there are 180,179confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 151,357of those as recovered or resolved.

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