Province expands Safe at Home programming

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This article was published 23/02/2021 (1683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After a successful launch, the provincial government said it has expanded its Safe at Home project to provide more at-home and remote activities for people in the province physically and socially distancing.

Originally launched as a $3-million project last December, Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox said during a Monday morning media conference that an additional $2 million has been spent on the program and that more than 300 projects have been funded by the program.

The minister later clarified that the additional $2 million has already been spent and there will not be an additional round of applications at this point.

“We know that the pandemic is far from over, but our government believes it’s important that we continue to offer ways for Manitobans to stay safe at home,” Cox said.

She said there had been more than 2,000 applications for funding under the program. While she said the program had been a success, Cox did not address what kind of participation the program had enjoyed.

The minister was asked why the province did not prioritize businesses forced to close due to public health orders for the program, instead focusing on virtual businesses. Cox said the government was not the decision maker for what programs were accepted. Instead, a group of five organizations led the process.

Further to the additional programming, Cox also announced that the province’s Safe At Home advertising campaign would be entering its second phase. The ad campaign aims to instruct Manitobans on how to bend the COVID curve and follow public health orders properly.

A sample video ad played during the conference shows Manitobans going to work, interacting with friends, ordering food from restaurants and generally living life according to public health orders.

“We’re getting closer, but we’re not clear,” chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said in one ad’s voiceover. “Do a bit more of what keeps us safe for a little longer.”

Roussin, who joined Cox for the conference, acknowledged that winter can be tough in Manitoba, but even more so during a pandemic.

“This pandemic and the public health restrictions have only added to these long, cold winter days with limited sunshine,” Roussin said. “The Safe at Home program continues to offer that ray of hope as it connects and engages Manitobans from across the province.”

He said the programs are especially helpful for Manitobans stuck at home self-isolating and thanked Manitobans for their work in lowering viral case counts in recent weeks.

Asked about how the province had done in terms of close contacts of people testing positive for COVID-19, Roussin said the numbers had decreased greatly since last year, averaging three to four close contacts per case this calendar year. However, that figure has plateaued.

A government spokesperson sent the Sun a list of projects in Brandon that have been funded through the Safe at Home program:

• Indigenous storytelling and culinary classes from Assiniboine Community College

• Indigenous art kits from the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation

• Connection to Culture for Mental Health from the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation

• No Blue Mondays, a performance series from the City of Brandon

• Arts Alive at Home from the City of Brandon

• Online Skills & Development Training from Hockey Brandon Inc.

• Online Fitness Classes from Lifestyle Personal Training & Group Fitness

• Yoga for Teen Girls from Open Hearts Wellness

• Online Winter Art Classes for Children and Teens from the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba

• Zen At Home from The Zen Z1

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