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COVID-19 is expanding in northern Manitoba, with new cases reported in the region both Tuesday and over the long weekend.

Manitoba has reported its highest number of cases in a day yet - 124 Manitobans have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past day. Of those 124 people, 95 are in Winnipeg, with 16 cases in the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority and at least one case in every Manitoba health region.

That includes the Northern Health Region, which saw another new case of the disease. The region now has 18 cases of COVID-19, including five in the Thompson/Mystery Lake district, two in the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake district in far east Manitoba, two cases listed in an "unknown district" and one case each in the Island Lake and Lynn Lake/Marcel Colomb First Nation/Leaf Rapids/O-Pipon-Na-Piwin districts. 

The province still lists eight active cases of COVID-19 in the Shamattawa-York Factory-Tastaskweyak/Split Lake district. Seven of those cases are within a family in York Landing - the York Factory First Nation reported late last week that all members of the family have since recovered, but provincial statistics have not included any change.

A case of COVID-19 that was previously listed in the Bay Line district is now considered recovered, along with a case previously announced in Gillam/Fox Lake Cree Nation, one case marked as "unknown district" and three cases in Thompson/Mystery Lake.

In Winnipeg, new exposures have been announced at four Winnipeg-area education facilities - the Winnipeg Adult Education Centre, Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, Dakota Collegiate and Dufferin School. The case from Dufferin School is the second case to be found in the school and was found in the same cohort as the first case. Other students in the cohort, along with their close contacts, have been advised to self-isolate.

A new exception to travel restrictions for northern Manitoba is coming. People coming from southern Manitoba who are asymptomatic can now come north for compassionate reasons - to visit someone with a life-threatening illness or health condition or to attend a funeral.

Manitoba chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said the existing health order restricting travel to the north will be amended later Tuesday. 

"These individuals are required to self-isolate other than those compassionate reasons. That will be reflected in the health orders signed today," said Roussin.