A look back at the COVID-19 pandemic in Manitoba through photos

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 15, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

It's been over five years since the archetypal cases of COVID-19 were reported successful Manitoba, marking the opening of the province's acquisition of the planetary pandemic.

That pandemic changed what beingness looked similar crossed Manitoba, from bare downtown streets and attraction location visits done done windows to distant learning and protests against pandemic restrictions.

It besides resulted successful the deaths of thousands of Manitobans. As of March 6, the state had reported a full of 3,821 COVID-19-related deaths — which includes deaths that happened 10 days earlier oregon 30 days aft a lab-confirmed case, and patients who tested affirmative for COVID-19 but whitethorn person died of different causes, a provincial spokesperson said. 

Take a look backmost done immoderate of the astir striking photos of the COVID-19 pandemic successful Manitoba.

On March 12, 2020, Manitoba reported its archetypal presumptive cases of COVID-19, marking the opening of the pandemic's effect connected people's lives crossed the province.

In those aboriginal days, usually engaged downtown intersections were abruptly quiescent and Winnipeg's airdrome was virtually empty. The state soon declared a authorities of exigency and banned ample gatherings.

Community spaces similar libraries, parks, playgrounds and skate parks were rapidly closed to the public.

Before long, radical began stocking up connected staples similar toilet paper, leaving store shelves bare.

Soon, schools were closed too.

Signs aimed astatine health-care and different front-line oregon indispensable work workers began popping up successful people's windows too, thanking them for the enactment they were doing during specified an uncertain time.

After astir businesses were forced to adjacent their doors during Manitoba's archetypal lockdown of the pandemic, galore were allowed to dilatory commencement reopening nether strict guidelines aboriginal successful the outpouring of 2020.

But not each rules were eased conscionable yet. Visits wrong semipermanent attraction homes were inactive restricted for immoderate time, leaving loved ones similar Sam and Shirley Kleiman to person their visits done a window.

Many COVID-19 trial sites were soon successful afloat swing, including drive-thru spots wherever lines of vehicles would often agelong down the block.

Later successful the year, items considered non-essential — from toys to Christmas decorations to decorative insubstantial plates — were blocked off in Manitoba stores, arsenic caller COVID-19 nationalist wellness orders came into effect prohibiting their sale.

Later into the year, reporters got a uncommon look wrong Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre as staff astatine the province's hospitals worked to attraction for Manitoba's astir critically sick COVID-19 patients, many on ventilators.

As autumn 2020 rolled around, galore were making plans for mitigating the hazard of COVID-19 as people were forced backmost wrong during the colder months.

In schools, student desks were pushed isolated oregon outfitted with cardboard partitions successful what was acold from a mean year.

At attraction homes, all-season outdoor shelters were intended to springiness families a abstraction to visit.

Some who opposed the pandemic restrictions besides started protesting against those rules astir the extremity of 2020.

Once the archetypal COVID-19 vaccines were approved and made their mode to Manitoba, health-care workers were the archetypal successful enactment to get their shots earlier they were rolled retired much broadly crossed the province.

Around the aforesaid time, outbreaks of COVID-19 were hitting immoderate communities hard. In Shamattawa First Nation, a bluish fly-in community, the subject was called successful to help.

In 2021, galore Manitobans were getting vaccinated against COVID-19 astatine sites crossed the province.

Partway done the year, Manitoba deed a sombre milestone: much than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths had been recorded crossed the province.

As COVID-19 cases began to emergence again, galore students successful Manitoba were again forced into distant learning.

As businesses were allowed to reopen aft different lockdown, it was with galore strict rules successful spot — including capableness limits.

Going retired into the satellite again aft lockdowns ended often looked a small different. At nail salons, some unit wore idiosyncratic protective instrumentality similar look shields connected apical of their masks erstwhile they interacted with customers.

Protests against COVID-19 restrictions continued into 2021, including successful Winnipeg and Steinbach, wherever immoderate were opposed to vaccine rules and the vaccine passports being utilized astatine the time.

Protests against pandemic restrictions intensified successful 2022, erstwhile radical successful semi-trailer trucks and different vehicles lined streets astir the Manitoba Legislative Building successful Winnipeg to telephone for an extremity to pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates for truckers.

Similar convoy protests happened extracurricular of Winnipeg too, travelling down highways and blocking the planetary borderline crossing.

Around the aforesaid time, Manitoba announced plans to signifier retired its pandemic restrictions. And arsenic the World Health Organization declared the planetary COVID-19 emergency over successful 2023, main provincial nationalist wellness officer Dr. Brent Roussin called connected radical to determination forward.

"That doesn't mean that the pandemic is over," Roussin said astatine the time. "But I bash deliberation that we request to find ways to heal."