The Manitoba government announced today it is extending the provincewide state of emergency.

It should be noted that the state of emergency is not the same thing as the public health order which is set to expire on February 12th. Under the Emergency Measures Act, the state of emergency helps reduce the spread of COVID-19 and helps to protect Manitobans. The state of emergency was first declared on March 20th of 2020.

Ron Schuler is the Minister responsible for the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization. He announced today that the extension will take effect on February 2nd at 4 pm and last 30 days.

"This extension marks the one-year implementation of Manitoba's state of emergency and has been the longest period in a state of emergency in the province's history" says Schuler. "Our government recognizes that there is still a lot of work to be done against the fight of COVID-19 and will continue to take the necessary precautions for the health and safety of all Manitobans."

On January 22, 2020, Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) issued a Situation Notification to government departments, federal entities and external partners noting the emergency of COVID-19. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Manitoba's EMO staff pre-activated the Manitoba Emergency Co-ordination Centre (MECC) on March 13, 2020, in preparation for its formal activation on March 16, 2020, to facilitate co-ordination of the provincial response in support of Health Incident Command and for intergovernmental collaboration. The MECC has been operating ever since.