Premier Brian Pallister announced that more than 23,000 Manitobans took part in a conversation with public health officials about new restrictions on retail sales, which took effect November 20, 2020.
“We recognize the personal and professional sacrifices all Manitobans have made in the face of this pandemic in order to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community,” said Pallister. “We are all in this together and we are committed to providing Manitobans the information to help them understand the purpose of our public health measures and what they can do to protect each other during this crucial time in our fight against COVID-19.”
More than 23,500 people took part in the Nov. 19 town hall, which offered Manitobans the opportunity to ask questions about the new public health orders and restrictions that came into effect on Nov. 20. The telephone town hall included a discussion with Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer and Dr. Jazz Atwal, a provincial medical officer of health.
A live poll during the town hall indicated more than 77 per cent of people taking part said they were staying home as much as possible and only going out for necessary reasons. More than 84 per cent indicated government direction is the main reason they are choosing to stay home during the Critical (Red) level on the province’s #RestartMB Pandemic Response System.
The participation report from the telephone town hall, as well as the results of the survey on COVID-19 Perceptions and Attitudes, is available at engagemb.ca.
This fall, more than 100,000 people have taken part in public engagement opportunities. Since April 2020, nearly 280,000 participants have engaged with the Manitoba government on COVID-19 issues through telephone town halls, online surveys, public opinion research and other engagement opportunities on EngageMB.
The fourth in a series of telephone town halls is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 25. This week’s town hall will give Manitobans the opportunity to ask Roussin questions about the pandemic response. Joining Roussin will be Dr. Andrea Poitrowski, a clinical psychologist with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority who will to take calls about how Manitobans can help themselves and others maintain their mental health during the pandemic. Manitobans can register to participate in this telephone town hall at engagemb.ca.
The premier noted Manitobans seeking urgent mental health support can visit manitoba.ca. For information on mental health virtual therapy, visit manitoba.ca.
Upcoming virtual stakeholder roundtable sessions will include discussions around festivals, performing arts and women’s shelters, the premier added.
Manitobans can seek clarification on the current public health orders including the new essential items retail restrictions through the question and answer tool on EngageMB by visiting engagemb.ca.
