Manitoba expands mask rules for students as COVID-19 numbers rise

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is expanding its mask rules on school buses as students prepare to return to class next week.

The government says all students, drivers and any other passengers on school buses will be required to wear masks.

Originally, the province was planning to require mask use on school buses only for grades 4 and up.

Health officials are reporting 18 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total 1,232.

Two of the new cases are residents of a long-term care section at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, where another resident and two workers had earlier tested positive.

With more people recovering, the number of active cases across Manitoba has dropped slightly to 459.

Health officials are also warning of two potential public exposures in Brandon — at an East Side Mario’s restaurant on Aug. 23, and at the Warlock Tattoo parlour over several days in late August.