NEW - Support for Your Mental Health

Wellness Together Canada provides free online resources, tools, apps and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals when needed. Please click on the below icon to access the Wellness Together Canada site.

August 19, 2020

PROVINCE MANDATES MASK USE FOR GRADES 4 TO 12
WHEN PHYSICAL DISTANCING NOT POSSIBLE

Committed to Keeping
Students Safe:  Premier

Out of an abundance of caution and based on the input of public health experts, educators and parents, the province is now mandating the use of masks for grades 4 to 12 when physical distancing is not possible, Premier Brian Pallister announced today.

“We are committed to keeping our students safe as they return to school during this challenging and unprecedented time,” said Pallister. “We have listened to the concerns of parents, teachers, administrators, staff and students, and we believe that greater clarity and confidence is necessary for the safe return to school this fall. We are taking these additional measures to ensure the health and well-being of our children, as they are our most precious resource.”

With the updated guidance, masks will be required for students in grades 4 to 12, teachers, school staff and visitors when physical distancing of two metres is not possible at school. Parents and caregivers will continue to choose whether younger students should wear a mask. Further guidance on exceptions will be available soon regarding specific mask-free time and for those not recommended to wear a mask.

“Wearing a mask offers an extra layer of protection, especially for indoor public spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer. “We all have a role to play, and we want to be sure that we take every step we can to ensure the return to school is a safe one. This will help ensure there is consistency across the school system.”

The province is developing resources to help children, along with their parents and caregivers, learn how to safely put on, wear and remove a mask.

All students in Grade 4 and up and bus drivers will also be required to wear non-medical masks on school buses. Masks should be put on before loading and taken off after off-loading.

Today, the premier and Roussin also launched the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System, a new online tool that provides clear, timely information for Manitobans about COVID-19. It helps translate public health indicators and decision-making into a simple, colour-coded system that helps everyone understand what is expected of them, what they can expect from others and the measures that may be put in place to protect everyone. It also includes specific information for schools to help families, teachers, administrators and the school community understand the risks and provincial response to the pandemic. For more information, visit www.manitoba.ca/restartMB.

Manitoba Education’s Restoring Safe Schools:  Guidelines for September 2020 will be revised to reflect the latest guidance on this issue and posted at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/covid/index.html. The EngageMB website at https://engagemb.ca/welcoming-our-students-back-restoring-safe-schools remains the best forum for parents, caregivers and students to post questions for response throughout the return to classroom learning.

The province will continue to work closely with Public Health, education stakeholders, school divisions, independent schools, parents, caregivers and students as part of its response to COVID-19 and the safe return to school.

 For more information:

• Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.
• Media requests for general information, contact Communications Services Manitoba: 204-945-3765.
• Media requests for ministerial comment, contact Communications and Stakeholder Relations: 204-945-4916.

The Manitoba Government is investing in the mental health of Manitobans by offering free on-line support to address anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Help will now be available from the comfort of your own home. AbilitiCBT is a new digital therapy program that will help with anxiety symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to register for the program.    

 Your Mental Health & COVID-19

Emergencies are always stressful and in a pandemic it is common for individuals to feel stressed and worried. Some common responses but specific stressors particular to the COVID-19 outbreak may include:

• Risk of being infected and infecting others, especially if the transmission mode of COVID-19 is not 100% clear.
• Common symptoms of other health problems (e.g. a fever) can be mistaken for COIVID-19 and lead to fear of being infected.
•  Caregivers may feel increasingly worried for their children being home alone (due to school closures) without appropriate care and support.
• Deterioration of physical and mental health of vulnerable individuals, for example older adults, and people with disabilities, if care givers are placed in quarantine or become sick and no other support is in place.

It is normal to feel sad, distressed, worried confused scared or angry during any crisis. Some common responses might included:

• Fear of falling ill and dying.
• Avoiding approaching health facilities due to fear of becoming infected while in care.
• Fear of losing livelihoods and not being able to work during isolation, and of being dismissed from work.
• Fear of being socially excluded/ placed in quarantine because of being associated with the disease (e.g. racism against persons who are from or perceived to be from affected areas).
• Feeling powerless in protecting loved ones and fear of losing loved ones because of the virus.
• Fear of being separated from loved ones and caregivers dur to a quarantine regime.
• Feelings of helplessness, boredom, loneliness and depression due to being isolated.
• Fear of reliving the experience of a previous epidemic. 

 How to stay informed

Health Canada in partnership with Thrive Health has created the Canada COVID-19 app. The app is a central resource for accessing personalized, trusted, evidence-based information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The information and understanding of COIVD-19 is constantly evolving and changing. It is important to obtain your information from credible sources. For up to date information please refer to the following links:

 How to support your mental health

Maintain a healthy lifestyle, (including a proper diet, sleep, exercise and social contact with loved ones at home).

Keep in touch with family and friends through email, phone calls, and making use of social media platforms.

If you feel overwhelmed, talk to a counsellor or another trusted person in your community (e.g. religious leader, or community elder). Some resources that are readily available to you are:

 How to support your family and kids

The Manitoba government is taking additional proactive measures to help reduce the impact of COVID-19 while supporting front line critical workers to help to respond to COVID-19. For more information please call the Manitoba Child Care Line at 204-945-0776 or 1-888-213-4754 or email cdcinfo@gov.mb.ca.

A new child care worker request process to help identify and prioritize critical workers who require care in order to match their needs with available child care providers. To expedite service, critical front-line workers who need child care options should complete and submit the Essential Workers Child Care Online Request Form

Please click on the following icon to learn how to help kids cope with stress during the COVID-19 outbreak.