It’s clear from his first few sentences that the tone of this briefing is going to be different from the ones that came before. Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, starts by offering a history of the last couple of years, including COVID-19 statistics but also a narrative of the toll that the pandemic has taken on Manitobans including the economy, mental health, and relationships.

This is the final regular public health briefing for COVID-19. While any future announcements or changes would call for a media briefing, the regularly scheduled weekly briefings that the province has been holding for almost two years now have come to a close.

The briefing isn’t just a goodbye. Roussin indicates that there is no longer a need for vaccination supersites throughout the province. The site at the RBC Centre in Winnipeg will remain open but all others will be closing, including the site at the Brandon Keystone Centre. Vaccines will remain available at many clinics and pharmacies.

The province is also consolidating its provincial testing sites, closing 18 sites at the end of this week. Among the sites closing is the testing site at the Brandon Keystone Centre, which has been the main site for Western Manitoba. In the Prairie Mountain Health Region, which includes Neepawa, Brandon’s drive-thru testing site remains open, as well as a testing site in Dauphin.

Public health continues to monitor the situation in Manitoba and around the world, including the spread of the BA.2 variant. The ramp-down of Manitoba’s healthcare response, which includes returning hundreds of healthcare employees to their regular duties, is designed so that if the need arises, it can be quickly ramped up again.

Manitoba’s last remaining health orders related to COVID-19 ended on Tuesday, March 15. The province has moved to recommendations, which means that each business and each individual will have to decide for themselves what is right for their situation.

"For many, these choices aren't easy,” says Dr. Roussin, “but we surely can make it easier on each other if we show some respect, kindness, compassion for other people's decisions as we navigate this transition period. Now more than ever is that time for kindness and compassion."