Latest COVID update May 30: Restrictions loosen as Step 1 begins

Several public health measures were eased on Sunday as the province began Step 1 of its Re-Opening Roadmap.

Private gatherings including household gatherings can now have up to 10 people. Public indoor gatherings may have a capacity of up to 30 people.

When outdoors, public gatherings can have up to 150 people.

Restaurants and bars are now allowed to seat six to a table, while VLTs are now permitted.

Attendance at places of worship can be up to 30 per cent of building capacity or 150 people, whichever is less.

Outdoor gatherings can also have up to 150 people.

Competition can resume for outdoor sports, as long as people adhere to capacity limits under the public health order. As well, group fitness classes can also be held.

At long-term and personal care homes, visitor restrictions have also been loosened. Residents can have an unlimited number of visitors, two at a time, indoors. When outdoors, they can have up to four family members or support persons. Quarantine is no longer required for those who return from outings.

Step 2 of the plan begins on June 20.

A look at the numbers

The province reported 171 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, along with one new death — a person in the 80-plus age group from the South East zone.

The latest cases were reported in the far northwest (7), far north east (2), north west (12), north central (17), north east (3), Saskatoon (70), central west (3), central east (6), Regina (19), south west (4), south central (10), and south east (17).

The hometown of one case is still being determined while two other cases have been confirmed to be in the central east zone.

In total, there have been 46,635 cases and 44,667 recoveries. There are 1,430 active cases.

The seven-day average of new cases is 137, or 11.1 per 100,000 people.

To date, 859,538 tests have been processed, with 2,241 on Saturday.

As of Saturday, 10,623 variants of concern have been identified.

No new lineage results were reported on Sunday. Of 5,713 cases of variants of concern, 5,529 are the U.K variant, 144 are the Brazilian variant, 30 are the Indian variant and 10 are the South African strain.

There are 109 people in hospital, the lowest total since Nov. 28.

Eighty-four are receiving inpatient care: in the north west (5), north central (5), north east (2), Saskatoon (35), central east (3), Regina (30), south west (2), south central (1), south east (1).

Twenty-five people are under intensive care: north west (1), north central (4), Saskatoon (11), central east (1), Regina (8).

Vaccination update

The province has administered an additional 11,061 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, raising the total to 717,609.

Those doses were given in the far north west (103), far north central (27), far north east (127), north west (652), north central (450), north east (293), Saskatoon (3,809), central west (563), central east (432), Regina (2,868), south west (395), south central (505), south east (572). Another 265 doses have their residences still being determined.

Seventy-seven per cent of those 40 and older have received their first doses. The proportion of those 30-plus with a first dose is at 71 per cent. Sixty-six per cent of adults have received their first dose.