COVID-19 in Saskatchewan: The Week in Review, May 8

The door creaked open to Saskatchewan’s economy this week, with the latch coming off on the same day the province saw its worst one-day spike in COVID-19 cases.

But the plan to open things up more in most of the province after the May long weekend is going ahead, for now.

News is coming fast and furious during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it can be hard to keep up with! With that in mind, 650 CKOM is putting together all the biggest, and happiest, stories of the week right here. We’ll give you the information you need, and leave you with a smile in these crazy times.

Phase 1 of the “Re-Open Saskatchewan” plan began this week, and people were finally able to get that sore tooth checked out – or get that home office-induced back pain worked out. Getting back to work might be a little difficult for some parents though, since school definitely won’t be coming back until at least fall.

The provincial and federal governments also announced new stimulus and aid programs to help hold the economy together after the pandemic lockdown, though not everyone is happy with what those programs have to offer.

There’s some good business news out there! People are turning to local meat suppliers, buying bicycles in droves and you’ll still be able to see a movie at the drive-in this summer!

Let’s get into the details:

The numbers

This wasn’t a great week for COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan. The province saw 129 new cases announced since last Friday, with 107 of those coming from La Loche and the surrounding area in the northwest. Another 19 of those cases came from the northern region, which encompasses Prince Albert, Meadow Lake and Lloydminster.

The good news is no-one died of the virus this week, and there are only 19 active cases of COVID-19 in the southern half of the province – with ZERO active cases in the south and central regions outside of Saskatoon and Regina.

Numbers for the week:

• 544 total cases
• 335 recoveries
• 6 deaths (unchanged)
• 203 active cases
• 15 in-patient hospitalizations
• 4 people in ICU

Single-case ‘outbreaks’

Something we saw more of this week was the Saskatchewan Health Authority declaring outbreaks after just one positive case of COVID-19 was found. This happened at Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital last week, then again at Saputo’s dairy facility in Saskatoon and at Meadow Lake’s hospital this week.

So why does a single case lead to an outbreak declaration? The SHA says it’s because of how many people could have been infected in a place like a factory or a hospital before the positive case was detected.

Reopening Saskatchewan

Phase 1 is *nearly* in full effect in Saskatchewan. We say nearly, because technically golf courses are part of Phase 1 and they don’t open until a week from now. Then campsites open on June 1. So we’ll call this Phase 1, part 1.

Dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and other medical services started opening their doors on Monday. From what we heard from those businesses, everything went alright.

Dr. Nathan Knezacek poses for a photo to display some of the personal protective equipment he will be wearing at his optometry clinic during phase one of the province’s reopening plan. (Submitted/ Nathan Knezacek)

But some who are part of Phase 2, which would open retail stores and hairdressers, aren’t as confident. In fact, several hairdressers joined the NDP on Thursday to call for Phase 2 to be pushed back beyond May 19. They’re concerned the rules around personal protective equipment aren’t clear enough.

Speaking of reopening things, the SHA also came out with their own four-phase plan for restarting medical services. It starts on May 19, with surgeries going beyond emergencies to include urgent cases and reopening mental health short stay units.

The bad news is elective surgeries like hip and knee replacements aren’t slotted in until Phase 4, which doesn’t have a date yet.

Some parents going back to work as the province reopens might have trouble figuring out what to do with their kids. That’s because schools definitely won’t be reopening until the fall now. Students can stick with the grades they had when classes ended in March, but they’re still being encouraged to keep up with those virtual classrooms for a chance to improve their grade.

Good news and helping hands

We thought about putting the school news here, but let’s face it: it’s good news for the kids, it sucks a little for parents. And it’s the parents we’re writing this for. (Though if you are a kid and you’re reading this, welcome!)

There were still a lot of great positive stories out there this week, as Saskatchewan never fails to impress!

With all the talk of the economic hardship COVID-19 has brought on, it’s good to see some businesses still gearing up and doing well. With everyone looking for ways to explore and stay active, bicycle shops are busy!

Our new screen time goals for the summer? (Jubilee Drive-In Theatre/Facebook)

Local meat producers are also getting a boost in the pandemic world. Pine View Farms near Saskatoon told us business was slow before, but now with more people looking for local meat in the wake of processing plants closing down they’re barely keeping up with orders!

We know one place in the province that will be busy this summer: the drive-in theatre! They’re getting the go-ahead to open up in mid-May, since people would be sitting in their own cars instead of bunching up together in a tightly-packed indoor theatre.

Virtual hangouts are pretty much the only way we’re all staying connected these days. But what about big celebrations? At least one event planner is trying their hand at planning virtual galas, after their wedding season got wiped out.

Speaking of going virtual, choirs and theatre performers are still saying the show must go on! They’re calling it an “online intermission” until they can get back to the physical stage. Going from arts to sports, we found out how different it is to call a hockey video game rather than the real thing.

The best news of all this week though? We don’t have to worry about that terrifying “murder hornet” here in Saskatchewan.

Cancellations and general bummers

It feels like from week to week, we’re talking about fewer cancellations and some more bummers. Mostly because the majority of summer mass gatherings are already rescheduled or cancelled.

We won’t see as many football games for either the Huskies or the Rams this season. (reginarams.com)

The biggest shocker of the week was a cancellation that could happen. CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie told a federal committee the league’s “most likely” scenario was no season at all. Yikes!

Keeping with sports, university athletics are dealing with a big financial crunch. With that in mind, Canada West – which includes the U of S and U of R – is reducing game schedules and limiting team travel to reduce costs.

Less of a shock, and cause for intrigue: Ag in Motion, which usually creates a small city outside of Langham every year, is moving their show to an interactive online experience this year.

We had one more dagger drop today on summer 2020: Saskatoon’s Folkfest, where everyone gets to show off their ancestral cultures, is indefinitely postponed…

Week’s end smile

Our sister station C95 named their first grand prize winner in the Ultimate Contest this week, and caught her reaction on video when she was told! It was extra emotional, because she just gave birth!

Check out the video: