Discussions

With COVID-19 having today been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this discussion thread should be seen as a place to share local details on the impact of the virus.  
 
This thread should NOT be seen as a substitute for direction or advice from health authorities, physicians and levels of government. Relevant links are included below for details from each of the province, country and WHO.  
 
Government of Manitoba page relating to the virus, including details on the number of tests conducted in the province:  
https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/coronavirus/  
 
Government of Canada page relating to the virus, with updates, advice, information on how to be prepared and information on prevention, symptoms and treatment:  
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html  
 
World Health Organization page on the virus  
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019  
 
I will be using this as a place to post relevant updates that I come into awareness of. I’d invite others to do the same. In an effort to ensure that folks’ replies are factual, if posting a fact and claiming it as such, you are asked to wherever possible include a link to a reputable source which may include one of the above, a reputable media outlet or the website or social media account of local entities being discussed.  

I should be clear that this isn’t a place for conspiracy theories or a place to get into an online battle over information from proper authorities. This thread should not be seen as one’s sole place for local information on the virus and no guarantees are made as far as accuracy of information within.  
 
In keeping everything in perspective, that this thread has been started shouldn’t be taken as a reason for any elevated level of panic. As of the time of this posting there are no confirmed cases in the province as per the Government of Manitoba and Government of Canada links above, with local impacts generally being in the form of preparedness and preventative measures being taken to limit potential spread. At the same time this thread should be seen as indicative of the importance of being informed in a situation where information on an important topic flows increasingly fast.  
 
Thanks for your understanding and cooperation

"In an effort to minimize contact, the WHL is advising all Clubs (including Wheat Kings) and officials to follow a number of recommendations to minimize contact:  
 
-Elimination of handshakes between teammates, opponents, officials;  
-No sharing of water bottles or towels on benches or penalty box areas;  
-Avoid direct contact with fans, including high-fives, handshakes, and autographing of items.  "
 
As per https://wheatkings.com/article/whl-statement-on-covid-19

From the link below, the Provincial Exhibition is continuing to monitor the situation and develop and improve plans based on facts received directly from Manitoba Health. Noting Manitoba Health's description of the current threat in the province as 'Low,' the number of hand wash and sanitizer stations have been increased for the upcoming Royal Manitoba Winter Fair to even further reduce threat:  
 
Full media release:  
http://www.provincialexhibition.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FOR-IMMEDIATE-RELEASE-PROV-EX-RE-COVID19-RMWF-2020.pdf

As per the Province, the first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in Manitoba. The person in the area of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is believed to have contracted when traveling to Philippines and is recovering at home in stable condition:  
https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/?archive=&item=46930

Hi all,  
Appreciate if this thread is reserved specifically for factual updates on local impact of the virus just so folks know that they can expect that kind of information when they click to read. Any posts to this particular thread are welcome so long as they follow the format of posts I've made, containing specific facts/developments on the local impact of the virus. There is a great and beneficial opportunity to discuss, suggest and ask in separate threads, existing or new. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation!

Issued by the City of Brandon this afternoon (link below, please read full link for all details)...  
 
- city is asking that all residents carefully consider if attending to civic facilities is necessary versus by phone or web service if viable  
 
- all members of the public attending a civic facility will be directed to thoroughly wash hands or apply hand sanitizer on entry. Until further notice visitors to City Hall are to use the Louise Ave entrance, visitors to the A.R. McDiarmid Complex are to use 7th Street entrance.  Staff instructed to practice safe social distancing, visitors/customers encouraged to do the same
 
- the water treatment plant is closed to the public until further notice, though water production continues as per normal (measures taken are to ensure safe operation)
 
- slate of public meetings is being evaluated to determine if postponements/cancellations are necessary. Further details from city to follow in event of any changes.  
 
Full link:  
https://www.brandon.ca/public-notices-details?var=5885

Thank you Idle and Trevor B, its a huge help to have you guys sharing locally-relevant COVID-19 stories within the format of this thread.  
 
Side note, I've started a separate thread for general local discussion on the pandemic within the more traditional format of a discussion thread. Seeing a big want for folks to share observations and ask questions that don't really fit within the format of a just-the-facts thread like this one, and the place for that is the link below with the caveat that one shouldn't expect to get serious medical advice on these forums:  
https://ebrandon.ca/messagethread.aspx?message_id=1050008&cat_id=3

The Sun is at http://www.brandonsun.com making COVID-19 stories free beyond the paywall.  
 
Locally I’d strongly recommend they be the first place folks turn for journalistically produced news on local developments and that posters use them on here when possible for links to breaking local COVID-19 related stories that might come about. Know the difference between quality of information they will be producing and that from by sites that simply aren’t equipped to consistently provide depth of coverage necessary that comes from making calls, talking to sources, asking the right questions and sharing facts as a first-hand source of info. I'm sure they will be first on a lot of stories, but if you happen to have read about a story somewhere else first theirs will still be a valuable read for extra depth of info. If sharing a link on social media on any given story, strongly consider making it theirs. 
 
From the Sun’s story on cancellations (link below),  
 
The Brandon Jazz Festival (March 19-21) is cancelled  
 
Full link is a very valuable read as a roundup of other possible cancellations and non-cancellations:  
https://www.brandonsun.com/local/Cancellations-starting-to-affect-events-568764331.html

Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has been cancelled as per:
http://www.provincialexhibition.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/FOR-IMMEDIATE-RELEASE-PROV-EX-RE-COVID19-RMWF-CNL-2020.pdf 

Reminder, please have reaction, observations, questions in the general COVID-19 discussion thread at link below so that this particular thread can be focused on being a stream of confirmed facts:
https://ebrandon.ca/messagethread.aspx?message_id=1050008&cat_id=3 

ACC has a section setup for info and updates at the link below.  
Please go to the full link if ACC is a part of your everyday life, but as of right now a couple notes of importance:  
 
- as of now, classes continuing as scheduled and campuses remain open  
- collect-hosted events through April 30 with more than 50 guests are cancelled  
 
A lot of very good resources at the link below including frequently asked questions, info regarding social distancing and travel:  
https://assiniboine.net/community/news-events/covid-19-updates 

Update sent out by Brandon School Division about measures they had previously taken and others put in place today. Classes remain in place and they are taking measures to limit potential spread. 

Full details on the School Division's ongoing response are and will continue being posted at:

https://www.bsd.ca/news/pages/update-on-covid-19-from-brandon-school-division.aspx

The closure will run from March 23 - April 13.  
 
Here is the direct story link:  
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-schools-covid-19-update-1.5497122

The campus will remain open, however classes and on-campus events will be postponed starting Friday evening for one week with further update expected to be provided by Thursday, March 19:  
https://www.brandonu.ca/news/2020/03/13/brandon-university-to-suspend-classes-for-one-week-campus-remains-open/