The province is adding more restrictions for schools within the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, which includes Headingley, St. Francois and Cartier. Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin says restrictions will take effect Monday.

"We know that our schools in Manitoba have been proven to be safe and low risk for transmission of the virus, we've seen minimal school based transmission, we've seen that the public health measures including cohorts have been effective," says Dr. Roussin. "And we've seen that administrators, teachers and staffs have implemented these measures very consistently and have handled our cases with great responsiveness, confidence, a great deal of professionalism from our colleagues in education."

However, he says there is an increased number of cases within schools, even though students are largely picking up the virus through community transmission.

As a result, the province is asking schools to:

ensure two metres of physical distancing to the greatest extent possible, and adjust classroom space as necessary; excess furniture must be removed from classrooms to create additional space, and other spaces within schools must be re-purposed to accommodate more distancing (e.g., multipurpose rooms, empty rooms, shared spaces, common areas and libraries).only continue extracurricular activities if distancing and learning requirements in schools are met. The province says established guidelines must be followed and, in the case of sports, participants should maintain distance when not active.teachers and staff who move across school cohorts will need to wear a medical-grade face mask. This includes substitute teachers. The province has issued disposable medical masks to schools.

A number of things will also be halted for the time being:

-Field trips must be postponed or cancelledwind instruments are not permittedindoor choirs are not permitted

Blended learning for grades 9-12 will be required for places where distancing cannot be achieved will continue. Kindergarten to Grade 8 students may be offered a temporary remote learning option for the duration of Level Orange.

The new orders all fall under the Orange Level of the COVID-19 pandemic. The province says all other public health measures are still in effect.