The City of Saskatoon follows SHA’s lead on coronavirus

Following the first case of coronavirus in Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon is working closely with the Emergency Management Organization.

The Emergency Operations Centre has raised its status to level two.

“This means regular teleconference with our key stakeholders, keeping our plan active, dynamic and adjustable to respond in the best interest of public health and safety,” the city said.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) confirmed the provinces first presumptive case of the virus on Thursday morning.

It involves a patient in their 60’s who recently travelled to Egypt and was self-isolating.

“While the risk of contracting the coronavirus remains low, it is critical that residents take precautions to protect themselves against respiratory illnesses here,” said Mayor Charlie Clark.

The city is encouraging people to follow recommendations from the SHA to wash hands frequently, practice good cough and sneeze hygiene and stay home if you are sick.

“We are going to continue to adapt as a city as the situation changes. We will be staying in close contact with the health experts and making decisions on the best interest of our citizens,” Clark said. “We are all in this together. Every organization, every business and every person can help play a role in keeping us all safe here in Saskatoon.”

We have now heard from the Ministry of Health that there is a case of COVID-19 in Saskatoon. I understand that this is concerning. (part 1 of a thread)

— Charlie Clark (@charlieclarkyxe) March 12, 2020

In Saskatoon’s update Director of Emergency Management Pamela Goulden-McLeod said civic centres and public facilities would stay open for the time being.

“The reality of the situation is that it’s going to be ever-changing. What we’re planning today might change tomorrow, and we’re all going to be adjusting and be agile in that response,” she explained.

“The reality is that because this is more of an event than an incident, we’ve got to make decisions about how we want to live our life in Saskatoon in the next few months.”

Four firefighters remain in isolation

Fire chief Morgan Hackl provided an update on the four firefighters in isolation at Fire Station No. 4 in Saskatoon’s North Industrial neighbourhood.

Those firefighters, and the person they were called to attend to, will remain in isolation until at least 9 a.m. Friday. That’s when the results of the person that was later admitted to hospital will be known. If results come back positive for COVID-19, the four firefighters will then be tested for the coronavirus.

“We received the information after the patient had attended the emergency department,” Hackl said, before mentioning operational changes that could be on the horizon.

“One of those is being the dispatchers and the questions they ask the patient or the caller for the patient.”

Normally for medical calls, two to three firefighters are sent into the home for safety reasons. That process is being reviewed to minimize contact between staff and callers.

Hackl has been in contact with fire halls across Western Canada, including Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver to gain insight on proper responses.

Members coming into possible contact with the coronavirus are being assessed for any risks.

Firefighters in Saskatoon are outfitted with pocket masks, gloves and a full-body hazmat suit.

Hackl couldn’t answer how services could be affected if multiple stations or crews of personnel are put into isolation, but doesn’t think response times are in jeopardy yet.

“If there is a change, does it change our response model in any way?” Hackl said. “We will continue to respond to urgent calls, but we will have to assess non-urgent calls and how quickly we can respond.”