Saskatchewan reports 14 more recoveries and no new COVID-19 cases

The number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Saskatchewan has passed the 600 mark.

The provincial government announced 14 more people had recovered from the virus as of Tuesday, increasing the total to date to 602.

For the second time in a week, Saskatchewan didn’t have any new cases to report. The last time that happened was May 26.

Saskatchewan’s total number of cases to date remains at 646. There have been 11 deaths connected to the virus in the province so far.

There now are 33 active cases, the lowest such total since there were 26 active cases on March 20.

Even so, Dr. Saqib Shahab — the province’s chief medical health officer — once again urged caution. He offered an explanation as to why we still see random cases occur in regions where the virus hasn’t been active for weeks.

“The fact we have no international travel (and) we have little interprovincial travel and cases pop up all over the place is because we have to recognize that while our case numbers are very low, we do have low levels of COVID transmission ongoing throughout the province,” Shahab said.

“It’s very low, but we know that 30 to 40 per cent of COVID can be asymptomatic or symptoms that are so mild one wouldn’t think twice about them, so that’s why we really want to encourage testing.”

Shahab stressed that as the province reopens, people still need to continue to take precautions such as washing their hands, practising physical distancing and keeping gatherings relatively small.

Shahab also is looking into what guidance can be offered so more activities can be enjoyed this summer, like going to the beach or watching kids’ sports. He says he is hoping to have some more answers in the coming weeks.

With the case numbers remaining low — Tuesday was the 13th straight day the number of new cases was in single digits — the province is moving to lift travel restrictions in the northwest region starting Monday.

As of that day, travel will be permitted into and out of the region and between communities.

The restrictions were put in place to limit the spread of the virus.

Also starting Monday, the maximum number of people who can attend outdoor gatherings in the northwest can increase to 20 people, but indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Physical distancing must be maintained at all indoor and outdoor gatherings.

When Phase 3 begins, the maximum size of gatherings in the rest of the province will increase to 15 people indoors and 30 outdoors. But again, Shahab stressed people should be cautious.

“If you have lots of different gatherings all the time, that’s how transmission happens and within days to weeks, you can go from no case to dozens or hundreds,” he said. “That’s just something we need to keep in the back of our mind as we move forward and try to enjoy the summer …

“An occasional gathering done properly with physical distancing and some thought about how food should be served is a good idea, but lots of gatherings which aren’t well-organized is not a good idea.”

A look at the numbers

Of the 33 active cases, 23 are in the far north, four are in Regina, three are in Saskatoon, two are in the north and one is in the south.

Two people are in hospital; both are in intensive care in Saskatoon.

Of the total number of cases, 384 are community contacts, 142 are travellers, 77 don’t have any known exposures and 43 are under investigation by local public health officials.

There have been 256 cases in the far north, 169 from the Saskatoon area, 112 from the north, 80 in the Regina area, 17 in the south and 12 from the central region.

The total includes 51 health-care workers.

Of the 646 cases, 230 are in the 20-to-39 age range, 197 are between the ages of 40 and 59, 106 are between 60 and 79 years of age, 95 are people 19 or under, and 18 are in the 80-and-over range.

There were 321 tests done Monday, increasing the province’s total so far to 48,593.

Opening up the northwest

The province announced that Phases 1 and 2 of the province’s reopening plan will take effect in La Loche on Monday. Other communities in the region already were in those phases.

However, Phase 3 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan is being delayed until further notice in that region. That phase is to begin Monday in all other areas of the province.

“Health officials will closely monitor the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the northwest region prior to June 8,” the government said in a media release. “If case numbers or other important variables significantly change, this may delay the lifting of restrictions.”

Guidelines for Saskatchewan residents

With Phase 3 set to start Monday in most areas of the province, the government reminded residents of the guidelines in place for businesses and services that are looking to reopen.

Policies for child-care facilities, places of worship, outdoor recreation facilities and gyms as well as guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment, cloth masks and cleaning products can be found here.