On January 26, 2021 the Manitoba Government announced that effective January 29, 2021, all persons entering Manitoba from anywhere in Canada will be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival in the province, subject to new self-isolation public health orders yet to be issued.
Under the current self-isolation orders, details of which are discussed in our previous MB Issues Public Health Orders Imposing Self-Isolation for Persons Entering Manitoba blog, persons entering Manitoba from Western provinces and Northwestern Ontario were expressly exempt from the self-isolation requirement.
As the province gradually reopens and in light of new variants of the virus, the self-isolation restrictions have been re-implemented and extended to travellers from all Canadian provinces and territories.
Thus far, the province of Manitoba has indicated that many of the current exemptions to the self-isolation measures will remain in effect, including persons travelling for essential interprovincial work and for medical purposes. We understand that there will also continue to be exemptions for people who regularly travel to and from communities near the borders for essential purposes. More details respecting the current exemptions, which will remain in place until January 29, can be found in our blog.
Individuals and employers will need to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the new self-isolation restrictions. While the full details of the heightened self-isolation restrictions remain unknown until the new public health orders are issued, employers with interprovincial operations should consider the impact that these orders may have on their employees' ability to travel to and from Manitoba.
Those who fail to self-isolate in accordance with the order could be subject to fines for non-compliance in the amount of $1,296 for individuals, sole proprietorships and partnerships, and $5,000 for corporations.
All international travellers must continue to abide by the federal quarantine requirements and provide a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to Canada. They must also be tested for COVID-19 immediately upon arrival in Manitoba and subsequently self-isolate for 14 days.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
