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For a ninth straight day, Saskatchewan has reported a single-digit total of new COVID-19 cases and a double-digit total of recoveries.
In a media release Tuesday, the provincial government said there were seven new confirmed cases, bringing the provincial total to 599. There also were 15 recoveries, increasing that total in Saskatchewan to 470.
All seven of the new cases are in the far north, with four in Beauval and three in La Loche.
Six Saskatchewan residents have died to date. There now are 123 cases that are considered active.
Five people are in hospital, including three who are in intensive care in Saskatoon. Two people — one each in Regina and Saskatoon — are receiving inpatient care.
Also Tuesday, on the heels of the May long weekend, Premier Scott Moe announced the northern travel ban will be lifted for the central and northeast regions of the province including La Ronge, Air Ronge, Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay.
The ban on travel will remain in place for the northwest region where there are localized outbreaks in La Loche and Beauval, Buffalo Narrows, Isle a la Crosse and Pinehouse.
“The vast majority of our COVID positive cases in the northern administration district are in that northwest. It’s always our goal to remove restrictions, not add them, we will add them when necessary, but it is our goal to remove restrictions so that we can operate as close to what will be a new normal as possible,” Moe told reporters Tuesday.
In order to lift remaining travel restrictions in the northwest region, case numbers in the communities experiencing outbreaks must remain very low for at least two weeks.
The public health order was amended to give what the government called “clarity for northwestern community leaders, residents and checkpoint staff to ensure that people can obtain essential goods and services when travelling for medical purposes.”
Non-essential travel is still prohibited for Bear Creek, Beauval, Birch Narrows Dene Nation, Black Point, Buffalo Narrows, Buffalo River Dene Nation, Canoe Lake First Nation, Clearwater River Dene Nation, Cole Bay, Descharme Lake, Dillon, Dore Lake, English River First Nation, Garson Lake, Green Lake, Ile a la Crosse, Jan’s Bay, Lac La Plonge, La Loche, Little Amyot Lake, Michel Village, Patuanak, St. George’s Hill, Sled Lake and Turnor Lake.
A look at the numbers
Of the total number of cases, 323 are community contacts, 139 involve travellers, 69 don’t have any known exposures and 68 are being investigated by local public health officials.
So far, 48 health-care workers have contracted the virus, although some did so outside of work.
The total number of cases includes 226 from the far north, 164 from the Saskatoon area, 106 from the north, 76 in the Regina area, 15 who live in the south and 12 from the central region.
In terms of ages, 216 cases are in the 20-to-39 range, 182 are between the ages of 40 and 59, 99 are in the 60-to-79 range, 84 involve people 19 years of age and under, and 18 are in the 80-and-over range.
There have been 158 recoveries in the Saskatoon area, 118 in the far north, 95 in the north, 74 in the Regina region, 15 in the south and 10 in the central area.
The 447 tests conducted in the province Monday brought the total to date to 41,606.
While reflecting on the low case numbers over several days, the premier reminded the public the virus may be hiding but the threat is still there. Moe warned there may be higher case numbers coming out in the days ahead as the province begins to reopen and people begin to get out and about more.
“(Higher numbers) shouldn’t frighten anyone, that is part of the new normal,” Moe said.
“Until such time as there is a vaccine that is available to us, that is part of living with COVID-19 is that we are going to have its presence and that is why we need to continue to be so very diligent.”
Moe reminded the public the point of public health orders was never to eradicate the virus but to flatten the curve and manage the spread.
He said essential businesses have already proven it is possible to manage the spread of the virus and drive infection rates down.
Phase 2 starts
With more stores and services opening Tuesday in the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, the government reminded residents to keep practising preventative measures.
The province suggested shopping on days when crowds are smaller and only when items are needed. The rules of the businesses visited should be respected and people shouldn’t loiter in stores or malls or gather in groups.
As well, food purchased in a store or in a mall food court has to be taken home before it’s eaten.
As for Phase 3, Moe says there will be a rough target date set likely for June in order to give those businesses time to plan for new guidelines but the province will monitor case numbers closely. In the event of localized outbreaks, parts of the reopen plan may be delayed or restrictions put back in place temporarily.
SHA’s Phase 1 begins
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) once again started offering some health services that had been stopped due to the pandemic.
“It’s a delicate balance we begin today toward a ‘new normal’ while still responding to the realities of a global pandemic,” SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said in a media release.
“Teams have and will continue to balance service resumption plans with the necessary health system capacity required for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients; including the need for ongoing expanded testing capacity, long-term contact tracing demands and maintaining the ability for the foreseeable future to surge to meet the requirements when localized outbreaks happen.”
Services such as outpatient physiotherapy appointments, kidney health services, some laboratory services, home care and expanded immunizations resumed in some areas Tuesday.
The first phase also will include an expansion of surgeries beyond three-week urgent and emergent cases to now include six-week urgent cases. The SHA said there won’t be a significant increase in surgeries immediately.