This is the worst step the government could take. The core of the message is "everyone, look after yourself". With the tendency for even a small proportion of the population to believe the conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and misinformation out here, this is the most dangerous 'policy' I could imagine. In fact, if the government wanted to make things worse, this is the way to do it.
The job of government is to protect the public good. What we think is the right way to do this is a matter of political persuasion, but not doing it isn't an option. It's a dereliction of duty. Even the smallest government exists to with a purpose. At its core, it's protecting the public interest.
To the poster who suggested those concerned should isolate while everyone else gets on with it, that's frankly ridiculous. Born with a peanut allergy that could kill you? Tough luck, you better never go to school. No, the right response is to make reasonable policy decisions that protect people. So my kids can't have peanuts at school. Big deal. They can have their peanuts at home. Likewise COVID. We can take reasonable steps to protect everyone. But the problem is that we all have different ideas of what a reasonable step is.
Here is where the 'rights and freedoms' argument muddies things. Yes, we have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Note it i:ncludes both rights and freedoms. It's not just a charter of freedoms. The rights are what protects the public good. We all have a right for our well being - "life, liberty and security of the person". But who is responsible for these rights? The government (provincial and federal). In fact, there are precedents in Canada for governments being sued for not adequately protecting these rights. In fact, the Charter only applies to the actions (laws, etc.) of governments. See this CBC article for an excellent summary of Charter rights and common misconceptions:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rights-freedoms-charter-vaccine-alberta-government-1.6186034 Those who fuss that their Charter rights are being violated often don't truly understand what, exactly, their Charter rights are. Or put another way, what everyone else's Charter rights are.
So the government will consider public health advice, but also the advice of Manitoba businesses, and others. This is just an open declaration of what their priorities are. Based on their political position. Some will agree and some will disagree. A previous poster said they think most people agree. I think most people disagree. That's inevitable. Most people tend to think that the majority of people think the same way we do.
At the end of the day, there is a pandemic still ongoing. The newest variant is overwhelming our health care system (and the 'with' vs 'for' COVID doesn't matter when the beds are full). OK, take out all the 'with COVID' cases from the data. Our system is still buckling no matter how you count people. And it would be less stressed if we could reduce the number of people there 'for COVID', and some share of those whose stay is complicated or extended 'with COVID'. As a result, public health is threatened. Everyone's 'right' to a healthy life is affected. Government can enact policy to protect those rights. It's their obligation under the Charter.