‘No significant benefit’: Moe says no new measures coming for Sask.

Despite record daily case numbers and rising hospitalizations, Saskatchewan won’t be implementing stricter public health measures in an attempt to curb the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

In his first media conference since testing positive for COVID on Jan. 13, Premier Scott Moe reiterated the provincial government will stand pat when it comes to its public health measures.

“Omicron is spreading across Canada and it’s spreading around the world regardless of the public health measures that are in place, which is why we have chosen to avoid increasing those public health measures and increasing the policies surrounding lockdowns here in Saskatchewan,” Moe told reporters Monday.

“We are not going to impose additional restrictions that cause significant harm for no significant benefit.”

A number of unions and the NDP have called for Moe to implement stricter measures, but he and his government have chosen not to do so. Masks are mandatory in indoor public places in Saskatchewan and proof of vaccination is required to access some businesses and event locales.

Moe claimed those measures are significant in and of themselves, talking about a mother he spoke with last week whose son had recently had several run-ins with the isolation policy around extracurriculars, though he could still go to school.

“But (he) wasn’t able, for example, to play hockey and had to take — at three different occasions — a number of days away from playing hockey, and that was challenging for that family and for that young individual,” Moe said. “That’s tough.”

Saskatchewan reported 1,629 new cases of COVID on Sunday, the highest total in a day in the province since the pandemic began. There were 262 people with the virus in Saskatchewan hospitals as of Monday, up 10 from the previous day.

But Moe defended his government’s actions by comparing Saskatchewan’s totals to those of Quebec, which he said likely has the most extreme health measures in place in the country.

He noted that province has just under 40 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, which the premier said was double the rate in Saskatchewan. As well, Quebec has recorded more than 1,000 COVID-related deaths in January, which Moe said is seven times more per capita than the rate in Saskatchewan.

“The lockdown policies, the increasing public health measures just don’t seem to be stopping the spread of Omicron, and ultimately the hospitalizations that we’re seeing in other areas of Canada,” said Moe.

However, Quebec is weeks ahead of Saskatchewan in its wave, according to the province’s chief medical health officer last week.

Dr. Saqib Shahab has often said recently the public needs to reduce its contacts to only those that are essential in order to keep case counts and hospitalizations low in weeks to come.

Moe said he’s not ignoring that advice and that he and the people of the province are taking it to heart. However, he said health measures have wider implications.

“When you put in a public health order, you stop it all, and you stop a couple of grandchildren from being able to safely do some rapid tests and go see their grandparents for example. You stop all of those opportunities for people to see one another and I would put forward that there are some significant consequences from doing just that,” said Moe.

The premier believes that, when people feel it’s necessary to see others, they’re taking the necessary precautions and using tools like rapid tests.

As well, Moe once again said his government is eager to avoid the economic and psychological harm that could result from stricter measures.

“COVID is not going away,” Moe said. “It’s going to remain an ongoing concern for all of us. But we live with other diseases in our communities and in our province that are also ongoing concerns. We do this without locking down, without taking away people’s freedoms and without disrupting everyone’s life. We need to make every effort to get to that point with COVID-19.”

To that end, he again urged residents to take rapid tests, to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots.

Moe said 46 per cent of those over the age of 18 in the province have got their booster, as have 74 per cent of people over 60.

He admitted the vaccine may not keep people from contracting COVID, but it could limit the severity of their illness if they do.

“That was certainly my personal experience,” Moe said. “I really had little if any symptoms at all and felt quite good throughout my COVID infection. I expect it might have been a lot worse had I not been fully vaccinated and had I not had my booster shot a couple of weeks prior.”

NDP leader calls out premier over lack of action

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili is calling out Moe for not bringing in new restrictions.

“Scott Moe’s choices are causing people to die and frankly, when someone knowingly makes a decision that causes the death of others, (it’s criminal),” Meili said Monday.

“The premier has the modelling in front of him. He knows how many people are going to be sick, he knows many people are going to die, he knows health-care workers will be put under incredible pressure (and) he knows that surgeries and other important parts of care will be cancelled. He knows his choices will cause people to suffer.

“His statement that we should just learn to live with that is the most irresponsible thing I’ve heard from an irresponsible man. There may come a time where COVID-19 is endemic, where it’s a regular part of our lives or we are doing annual shots as we do with the flu shot, but to pretend that we are there in a way that causes people to fill up our hospitals and die is absolutely criminal.”

Meili said Moe made a choice when it came to what he said at the conference.

“He chose to mislead the people of Saskatchewan, he chose to downplay the seriousness of our situation (and) he chose to turn his back on the overburdened health-care workers and the patients they serve,” Meili said. “He chose to malign legitimate scientists and instead give fuel to the worst extremists of the anti-vaccine movement.”

Meili said Moe’s comments on restrictions not working is simply not true.

“The evidence is 100 per cent clear in the opposite,” Meili said. “The way he downplays the seriousness of this and denies the modelling, it is multiple forms of dishonesty that this man continues to repeat.”

Meili called on Shahab to share the recommendations he’s been giving the government to make it clear what they are. Meili also said leadership in the Saskatchewan Health Authority should share what problems could be facing them, and noted Sask. Party MLAs should speak out against Moe and his refusal to bring in any more restrictions to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant.

“You were elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan, not follow the political lies and pandering of Scott Moe,” Meili said.

Meili said the NDP has brought forward a number of suggestions which include reducing large gatherings, expanding proof of vaccine requirements and supporting safety in schools through better ventilation in schools.

“The fact is we have a premier who doesn’t care. He has given up entirely. He has betrayed the people of Saskatchewan,” Meili said. “We can give plan after plan but until he stops failing Saskatchewan people, nothing is going to be done.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick and Britton Gray