Families from regions with low COVID-19 numbers want Manitoba to ease 14-day isolation rule

Jo Beyers hasn't seen her son in The Pas, Man., for more than half a year the longest they've ever been apart.

"When you do get the occasional SOS call, and you know you can't legallygo and visit, it's pretty traumatic," Beyers said.

Like many Canadians, Beyers and her son live indifferent provinces, and have been under travel restrictions brought in to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Starting Sunday, as Manitoba enters Phase 3 of its reopening plan, the provincewilldrop its mandatory two-week self-isolation period for some visitors.

If you're comingfrom Western Canada, the territories, or part ofnorthwestern Ontario (west of Terrace Bay), you can enter Manitoba without self-isolating, as long as you don't have symptoms or known exposure to COVID-19.

Beyerslives in northeastern Ontario in the small town of Thessalon. It's about 400 kilometres southeast of Terrace Bay, the line Manitoba has drawn that would exempt her from the quarantine rule.

As of this week, the vast region of northeastern Ontario has only had200 COVID-19 casessince the pandemic began.In Beyer'shealth unit of Algoma, only 23 cases have been found.

Beyers, who retired from a job as a researcher in public health, said Manitoba should consider how the COVID-19 situation in northern Ontario is different than southern Ontario.

While Ontario has been a hotbed for cases of the novel coronavirus, themajority of the caseshave been centred around Toronto more than 400 kilometres from where Beyers lives.

"Northern Ontariotakes three days to drive across. It's huge," she said. "Why would they draw the line [there]? Is it the criteria for where most Manitobans have camps?"

Beyers said she doesn't understand whyshe would still be required to self-isolate if she visited Manitoba, while herfamily in Alberta, where there have been over7,500 cases to date, would not.

'When will I get to see my mother again?'

Meanwhile, Charlie Steele fromHalifaxwants to see his 82-year-old mother, who lives in Portage la Prairie, Man.

"She's not getting any younger," Steele said. "Time is precious and I'd like to be able to have some quality time with her."

Steele said he worries about what will happen ifManitoba's restrictions for travellers from Atlantic Canadaaren't eased this summer, and the number of COVID-19 cases rises in the fall.

"If I don't go this summer when will I get to see my mother again?"

Like northern Ontario, the rates in the Maritimes have also been among the lowest in the country.

• See a provincial breakdown of COVID-19 cases here

"The infection rates in the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada are significantly lower than what they currently are in the provinces Manitoba is opening its borders up to," Steele said.

"As an outsider looking in, I don't understand it."

WATCH | Families worry about Manitoba's restrictions for travellers:

Families worry about Manitoba's restrictions for travellers

4 years ago

Duration 2:07

As Manitoba enters Phase 3 of its reopening plan, the province will drop its mandatory two-week self-isolation period for some visitors. Much of northern Ontario is still subject to self-isolation rules.

Steele said he'd take a direct flight between Halifax and Winnipegso he could avoidCOVID-19 hot spots in Ontario and Quebec.

"I wouldn't go if I felt there was going to be a health risk to her," he said. "I guess it comes back, fundamentally, to at what point are Canadians going to start to travel again?"

If the isolation rulescan't be completely lifted, Steele would like to see some sort of accommodationmade for families trying to see each other in different provinces.

Both Beyers and Steele say they don't want to travel if health officials deem it a risk, but they want Manitoba to give aclearer explanation ofhow it'sdeciding who can enter the province without isolating.

Premier not sure how line was set

When asked about the decision, a spokesperson for the province said Manitoba looked at rates of community transmission in other jurisdictions, but would not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said Wednesday he wasn't exactly sure why health officials had chosen the northwestern Ontario town of Terrace Bay as the cutoff.

"We do know there is a lot of activity betweenManitoba and Ontario, business and other. And so I believe that the medical experts looked at that in the design of the plan," he said.

Pallister said the province is keeping an eye on the low COVID-19 rates in the Maritimes as well.

Alongwith Nova Scotia, Manitoba wasone of the last two provincesmaintaining mandatory two-week isolation rules for travellers.

"We'llcontinue to monitor the situation both there, here, and elsewhere to look at moving further restrictions back as we can do so safely in the future."