COVID Update - April 3

New information

Number of cases: 167 (confirmed and presumptive) as of Wednesday April 1

Letter from Minister Pedersen
Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen has provided KAP with a letter to the agriculture industry that he has asked be shared with our members. Click here to view the letter.

Federal government list of essential services
Canada’s National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure defines critical infrastructure as the processes, systems, facilities, technologies, networks, assets, and services essential to the health, safety, security or economic well-being of Canadians and the effective functioning of government. The Strategy classifies critical infrastructure in Canada according to ten sectors:

Energy and Utilities
Information and Communication Technologies
Finance
Health
Food (including Agriculture)
Water
Transportation
Safety
Government
Manufacturing

Public Safety Canada has developed a set of functions deemed essential in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to help provinces/territories, Indigenous communities, and municipalities protect their communities while maintaining the reliable operation of critical infrastructure services and functions to ensure the health, safety, and economic well-being of the population. These services and functions can also help the private sector self-identify as essential. Click here to view the entire list of essential services as provided by the federal government. To ensure the continued functioning of our integrated economies, this document is aligned and consistent with the United States Department of Homeland Security Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce, which was issued on March 19, 2020

Child-care for workers in essential services
Beginning on Tuesday, April 14, all parents who work in critical services, as defined by the chief provincial public health officer, will be able to access child-care spaces available in licensed facilities. This includes support staff at hospitals and clinics, grocery store staff, farmers and farm workers, construction workers, bank or credit union employees. Parents working in these sectors who have been unable to make other child-care arrangements will be able to check which facilities have available spaces at www.manitoba.ca/covid19 and work directly with them to receive a spot.

Optometry services and prescription safety eyewear
During the closures required by COVID-19 Provincial Directives, some optometry offices may be able to provide new or replacement prescription safety eyewear. You must contact the optometry office before visiting for safety eyewear and no optometry offices are open for walk-in visits. When contacting the optometry office, you should confirm that the office is able to provide safety eyewear. Click here to view a list of practices participating in the OVC safety eyewear program that are currently open for urgent/emergency care can be found on the safety eyewear page on our website here. The list will be updated on a regular basis.

Flights and events with confirmed cases
The Manitoba government is updating their website to include locations that have been visited by someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Click here to view the webpage.

PPE drop-off locations
KAP is encouraging all producers with personal protective equipment that is not required for spring work to donate to the Manitoba health system. As Manitoba’s health system continues with preparations to ensure our province is prepared to meet the needs of our patients and to ensure appropriate protection from COVID-19 is available to health care workers, donations of the following supplies are now welcome and greatly appreciated. Supplies must be in original packaging, clean and in usable condition. Expired supplies are not able to be accepted. Drop-off locations exist across Manitoba in Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Winkler and Steinbach. Click here for detailed locations for drop-off and donation requirements.

Webinar on Managing Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic - TODAY
KAP has partnered with the Canadian Agricultural HR Council (CAHRC) to share information and answer your questions about managing workers in agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be shared through a half hour webinar this Friday Apr 3 at 1:00 PM CDT. Click here to register for this webinar. Note: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Health-related information

COVID-19 pandemic
Manitobans are reminded to call Health Links (1-888-315-9257) should you believe you have come into contact with COVID-19. You do not need to be tested if you are not experiencing symptoms. At this time, Manitobans are best served by listening to public health professionals, enacting social distancing protocols, ensuring that handwashing is taking place regularly, and ensuring that adequate supplies are on-hand without hoarding or over purchasing. We will all get through this together.

Mental health during COVID-19
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has put together a useful resource on how to process significant changes to your daily life and how to deal with your mental health during this time. Click here to access those tools and resources. The Farm, Rural, and Northern Support Services Line is available by phone at 1-866-367-3276. Manitobans struggling with anxiety can call the Never Give Up Manitoba support line at 204-925-0040 between the hours of 9am and 9pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on weekends.

Screening tool
Shared Health’s online screening tool is available and is the recommended first step that Manitobans should take prior to calling Health Links or attempting to visit a doctor’s office. Click here to access the online screening tool.

Testing facilities
A reminder that all testing facilities are to be accessed by referral from Health Links and are not walk-in clinics. The provincial government has announced more rural testing sites will be open in the coming days. Testing facilities at this time are:

Town	Facility	Address	Hours of Operation
Winnipeg	Access Winnipeg West	280 Booth Drive	Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Weekends, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Winnipeg	Mount Carmel Clinic	886 Main Street
Thompson	Thompson Clinic	Plaza Mall	Daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Flin Flon	Channing Auditorium	2 North Avenue
The Pas	Royal Canadian Legion	4 Veterans Way
Brandon	Brandon Regional Health Centre, Nurses' Residence Gym	150 McTavish Ave E	Daily 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Selkirk	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	622 Superior Ave	Daily 9:00AM to 4:00PM
Steinbach	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	365 Reimer Ave	Daily 9:00AM to 3:00PM
Winnipeg	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	15 Barnes St.	Daily 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Winnipeg	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	1284 Main St.	Daily 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Winkler	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	600 Park St.	Daily 9:00AM to 3:00PM
Portage	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	Stride Centre, 245 Royal Rd.	Daily 9:00AM to 3:00PM
Eriksdale	Drive-Thru Community Testing Stie	35 Railway Ave	Daily 10:00AM to 3:00PM
Pine Falls	École Powerview School	33 Vincent St	Monday to Friday, 9:00AM to 4:00PM
Dauphin	Drive-Thru Community Testing Site	217 Industrial Rd	Daily 10:00AM to 3:00PM

Help Next Door MB
The Manitoba government and North Forge MB have partnered to release Help Next Door MB, a tool to put those in need of assistance with volunteers across the province while adhering to social distancing protocols. The tool allows Manitobans to register to be volunteers or to register need for assistance and needs range of things like needing help to get groceries or pick up medication, computer troubleshooting, or chores around the house. To learn more or to register, click here.

Industry-specific information

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program
Yesterday, the federal government released details of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program, aimed at supporting businesses to ensure that workers are able to count on a source of income through this difficult time. Click here for the full details of the announcement.

Spring road restrictions
Under newly revised spring road restrictions, a vehicle may transport essential commodities at normal loading on highways that are subject to Level 1 road restrictions. Additionally, essential commodities may be transported at normal loading on roads subject to Level 2 restrictions, under conditions. Essential commodities include groceries, medical supplies, fuel, fertilizer, bulk milk, potable water for non-industrial use, emergency equipment and materials, and mail delivery on. It also includes livestock and livestock feed in transit, and hay for feed in transit within Manitoba. For the 2020 Spring Road Restrictions season, a permit is not required to transport grain to satisfy grain quotas or contracts, or to transport potatoes or vegetables from producer to processor, and these commodities are eligible for the normal loading. Click here to read the full announcement.

Manitoba flood outlook
The second Spring Thaw Outlook of 2020 reports the Assiniboine River basin and other rivers are expected to remain mostly in-bank, with possible over-bank high water covering agricultural land at a few locations. Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre reports with favourable conditions, water levels similar to the spring of 2019 are expected. Last year, the Red River Floodway was put into service but Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 75 from Winnipeg south to Emerson remained open. Average weather conditions in spring 2020 would result in water levels similar to 2006 on the Red River, according to forecasters. In that year, PTH 75 was closed for 18 days. Unfavourable weather could lead to a run-off nearing 2011 levels. In 2011, PTH 75 was closed for 28 days. Click here to read the full flood outlook.

Nutrient application
At this time, there is no provincial variance in effect for nutrient application, meaning that the April 10, 2020 deadline stands at this time. This is due to predicted weather in the coming days and frozen soils in many areas of the province. The deadline will be reassessed next week. For more information, click here.

Guidance for slaughter and processing facilities
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has published new guidance for both slaughter and processing facilities, including establishment requirements, procedures for operators, and mitigation efforts for COVID-19. Click here to read the full guidance.

Provincial closure of non-essential businesses
The Manitoba government has issued a new public health order, effective 12:01am April 1, which will restrict the operation of non-essential businesses. Click here to view the entire schedule of restrictions and exemptions. In terms of the agriculture industry, the following exemptions are in place:
Agriculture and food production

A business that is engaged in farming, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, producing or distributing food or farm products such as crops, animal products and by-products or beverages.
A business that is engaged in fishing, hunting or aquaculture.
A business that supports the food supply chain, including assembly yards, livestock auctions, food distribution hubs, feed mills, farm equipment suppliers, feed suppliers, food terminals and warehouses, animal processing plants and grain elevators.
A business that supplies agricultural producers with necessary products or services, such as seed, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, agricultural equipment, custom application of herbicides and pesticides and the repair of agricultural equipment.
A business that supports the safety of food, including animal and plant health and animal well-being.
A business that provides veterinary services or that supplies veterinary or animal control medications and related supplies and testing kits.
A business involved in ensuring the safe and effective management of animal waste, and includes a business responsible for the disposal of dead animals, rendering, nutrient management and biohazardous materials treatment or disposal.

Guidelines for non-exempt businesses
For any businesses deemed non-essential, the following business operations are allowed under the Public Health Order: All non-exempt businesses may:

continue to operate where customers can order goods online or by telephone; however, customers cannot attend the businesses’ premises or property to order goods.
continue to sell goods to customers where those goods can be picked up ‘curbside’ or delivered to customers; however, customers cannot pick up goods at businesses’ premises or on its property;
allow staff to attend the businesses’ premises, without a limitation on the number of staff, as long as staff take measures to keep social distancing of one to two metres apart from each other; and
accept delivery of goods and may allow services, such as construction, repairs, maintenance and cleaning to occur at their premises and on their property.

Risk-informed decision making
The federal government has developed a document for workplaces to consider risks associated with COVID-19, including the implementation of risk mitigation strategies and what changes may be needed to make essential workplaces safer. Click here to access this resource.

Guidance for employers of temporary foreign workers
New guidance has been issued for the employers of temporary foreign workers. Click here to access these guidelines. These measures include:

mandatory 14-day self-isolation periods, during which workers cannot work.
accommodations that allow for self-isolation, including 2-meter social distancing allowances.
links for documents to work in workers’ accommodations; and
employers’ duties in monitoring workers health and reporting symptomatic workers.

KAP COVID response page
KAP has developed a COVID-19 response page on our website, including helpful links and messages from the daily Alert. Click here to visit the page.

Manitoba checkpoints
The Manitoba government is establishing five highway checkpoints to provide information to travelers about required public health measures in place regarding COVID-19. Travelers will receive information about Manitoba’s current state of emergency, public health orders issued under The Public Health Act, and the need to immediately self-isolate for 14 days after travel in Canada or internationally. Checkpoints will be located on Hwy 1 at West Hawk Lake and on Hwy 1 west of Kirkella, PTH 16 west of Russell, PTH 5W west of Roblin and PTH 2 west of Reston/Souris. No traveler will be denied entry into Manitoba at these locations.

On-farm sanitation factsheet
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, we all must implement safety and sanitation protocols in our daily lives, and our farms need protocols as well. As preparations are made for the spring planting season, it is imperative that producers and staff practice appropriate sanitation.
The Manitoba Farm Safety Program and Keystone Agricultural Producers have developed a list of best practices to consider for on-farm sanitation as we approach the spring season. We will continue to update this list as more information becomes available from Manitoba Health and other public health agencies. To view the factsheet, click here.

Jobs in the agricultural sector
Given that many Canadians have been laid off from their jobs and that there is still some uncertainty as to how the federal government is working to bring seasonal workers into the country, we are encouraging employers in our sector to post jobs on three sites:

We will begin to promote these sites on social media in effort to reach out beyond our industry. Our hope is that we can match job seekers with employers as we approach the busy spring season.