NDP calls on urgent action for long-term care homes and for leaders to come out of hiding

Less than a year ago a COVID-19 outbreak was declared at long-term care home Extendicare Parkside. As a result, 39 seniors lost their lives.

On Monday, the SHA confirmed several outbreaks in long-term care facilities including Regina Lutheran Home, Santa Maria, Parkside Extendicare, Extendicare Elmview, Extendicare Sunset, Pioneer Village and Wascana Rehab.

The Saskatchewan NDP fears history is repeating itself, and the fourth wave is already here.

“Families are paying the price for (Scott Moe’s) disappearance, for his inaction,” Leader of the opposition Ryan Meili said. “The front-line staff here, they’re doing everything they can to make sure they support residents. They keep each other safe, but the fact of the matter is they’re understaffed, unsupported by this government, and frankly, their desperate calls for help are going unanswered.”

A release from the SHA on Monday declared that due to the recent outbreaks in long-term care homes, family presence is now at a Level 3, “meaning family presence is now limited to end of life care.”

A number of the positive cases contributing to these outbreaks have since been determined to be invalid due to lab error and the false-positives are being retested.

The NDP is calling on the Moe government to work with facilities and unions to achieve full vaccination of all staff in long-term care and throughout the health care system. Specifically, the NDP request the following:

• Working with facilities and unions to achieve the required full vaccination of all staff in long-term care and throughout the health care system;
• Mass testing in all long-term care facilities in Saskatchewan; and
• Developing a third dose plan for seniors in long-term care facilities and priority health care workers.

“We’re already getting to that eight-month point and past that second dose,” Meili said. “People’s immunity is waning, they’re at higher risk. We need to make sure we’re protecting the most vulnerable. Those who are putting themselves on the line to protect us because this simply can’t go on.

This government’s failure to support seniors has been disastrous. We’ve lost over 100 seniors due to COVID-19. Deaths that were preventable, predictable, and are on Scott Moe’s conscience. It’s wrong. It’s cruel, and it needs to end today.

“That’s why I’m calling on Premier Moe, Minister Hindley, and Minister Merriman to show up. To come out of hiding and immediately implement these recommendations. Get us to the vaccination coverage that we need, provide safety for long-term care residents and the staff that work so hard to protect and care for them. It’s what Saskatchewan people expect, and it’s what we deserve.”

Leaders in hiding

With the fourth wave on the rise, Premier Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab have not had a public update since July 7th, leaving many questions unanswered.

“The premier shook Dr. Shahab’s hand and basically said to the province, ‘you’re on your own, we’re not showing up anymore’, ” Meili said.

“No COVID briefings, no opportunities for press to ask questions. No opportunities for the Saskatchewan public to get answers. Everywhere else across the country you’ve still got these briefings going on. You’ve got ministers and premiers and chief medical health officers coming out and answering questions. Only in Saskatchewan is this premier sticking his head in the sand and leaving the people behind.

“Our legislation here in Saskatchewan actually gives Dr. Shahab the least independence of any medical health officer across the country. In B.C., Bonnie Henry could come out tomorrow and declare a state of emergency. Here, it’s only the premier that can do that. So we’ve got a situation where you’ve got someone who answers to the government, and I firmly believe that Dr. Shahab wants to do everything right. I would like to free him to say the truth about what’s going on and to give us the straight answers instead of having it all filtered.

“I get the sense that Scott Moe doesn’t want anyone officially out talking about COVID. He wants to pretend it’s not going on.”