Mandatory masking, vaccine passports coming to Saskatchewan

Just over two months after dropping all COVID-19 public health measures — and with new and active cases increasing at a high rate — Saskatchewan is bringing back one measure and instituting another.

During a media conference Thursday, Premier Scott Moe said the province will again be making masks mandatory in indoor public spaces as of Friday.

The province also will require proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test to access some businesses, establishments and event venues in the province as of Oct. 1.

After that policy takes effect, the masking mandate is expected to be removed in late October.

As well, all employees of government ministries, Crown corporations and agencies will have to get vaccinated, with proof of full vaccination required by Oct. 1. If they can’t be vaccinated, they’ll have to provide consistent proof of negative tests.

Moe noted the government and the Saskatchewan Health Authority did all they could to get people to get vaccinated, even going door to door in some communities to make the vaccine accessible.

For the premier, the fact that more than 20 per cent of the province’s population has yet to get immunized made Thursday’s announcement necessary.

“We have remained patient as a government and we have exhausted all of these avenues because we know how effective vaccines can be when people choose to take one,” Moe said. “But today that patience has come to an end.

“If you are unvaccinated and living in Saskatchewan, it’s now time to get your shot. The vast majority of Saskatchewan people that have done the right thing, quite frankly they are tired of those that have chosen not to and that is what is now driving the fourth wave in this province.”

Moe defended the timing of the announcement, saying the government and SHA have made decisions based on information they had at that time.

You can watch the full video here: https://t.co/alk9z1ejgp

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) September 16, 2021

Masking mandate

Masks won’t be required for indoor sporting events for those under 18 while they’re participating in the athletic activity.

Masks will be required in facilities hosting youth athletics for entry and exit into the buildings for athletes and spectators.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, said people probably should have been wearing their masks — and practising other measures such as physical distancing — even after the public health order was lifted July 11.

Those strategies had helped during the last year and could have helped even without a mandatory order. Now, the hope is that masks will make a difference.

“While it takes four to six weeks to see an impact in hospitalizations, wearing a mask stops transmission immediately and that will have an impact on cases presenting four or five days later,” said Shahab, who noted further measures may be necessary if cases continue to trend upward.

Proof of vaccination

Starting Oct. 1, proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test will be necessary at businesses, establishments and event venues that bring groups of people together. Those include:

• Indoor dining at restaurants;
• Nightclubs, bars, taverns and other licensed establishments;
• Event and entertainment venues, including conference centres, casinos, movie theatres, concert venues, live-music venues, museums, and indoor facilities hosting ticketed sporting events; and,
• Indoor fitness centres, and gyms.

Proof of vaccination won’t be required at:

• Retail businesses, including grocery stores;
• Places of worship;
• Fast food restaurants offering takeout and delivery;
• Health care services, professional services, or personal services;
• Hotels or other lodging;
• Facilities hosting non-ticketed amateur sporting events, including youth athletics and recreational leagues;
• Business meetings and places of business closed to the general public, unless otherwise directed by the business or employer;
• Private gatherings held at an indoor public residence.

The government noted the QR code for proof of vaccination will be launched starting next week.

In addition to requiring its own employees to get vaccinated or provide negative tests, the government also encouraged other employers — including school divisions — to implement a similar policy.

“Having your workforce fully vaccinated is one of the best things that you can do to protect yourself, to protect your customers and to keep your doors open,” Moe said.

Rapid-antigen tests

The government plans to expand access to rapid-antigen tests for home-based screening.

“The Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement in conjunction with the Ministry of Health is working to procure and distribute rapid-antigen tests for widespread access,” the government said in a media release.

“Residents will be able to obtain rapid-antigen tests for use as a self-administered screening tool from several locations operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and partner agencies.”

Those locations are to be published in the coming days.

The numbers

The government lifted all public health restrictions on July 11, opting instead to rely on people to get vaccinated as the only tool in the fight against the virus.

Since that day, just over 200,000 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in the province and 149,000 more people now have received both doses. Total vaccinations as of Thursday were 1,508,026 and there were 712,354 people double-vaccinated.

But over the past 66 days, there have been 11,467 new cases of COVID — more than one-sixth of the total recorded in the province since the pandemic began in March of 2020.

As well, active cases have risen from 399 on July 11 to 4,064 on Thursday, and hospitalizations went from 54 (with six people in intensive care) to 218 (with 48 in ICU) on Thursday. There also have been 58 deaths since the public health measures were lifted.

“Unfortunately today, we are faced with a fourth wave resulting in increased case numbers and a significant capacity pressure in our health-care system which is close to exceeding what we have faced before,” Moe said in a video announcing the measures.

“But unlike previous waves, this wave of the pandemic is being driven almost entirely by one group that consists of about 20 to 30 per cent of our population — those that have made the choice to remain unvaccinated.”

On Thursday, the province reported 439 new cases of COVID-19. Of those, 347 weren’t vaccinated — and 98 of those were under the age of 12. That age group currently isn’t eligible to be vaccinated.

Moe put the blame squarely on those who haven’t been vaccinated.

“The choice to not get vaccinated is not just affecting you, it is now seriously impacting those who did do the right thing and it is now seriously impacting those who cannot get vaccinated — our children — and it’s prolonging the pandemic for everyone,” he said.

“The choice to not get vaccinated is creating consequences for others and I would say very soon it is going to create consequences for those who have made the decision to remain unvaccinated.”

The new measures aren’t as sweeping as those that went into effect in Alberta on Thursday, even though Saskatchewan and Alberta have the highest infection rates and lowest vaccination rates in Canada.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney apologized for his government’s handling of the situation during Wednesday’s announcement. When Moe was asked if he too would apologize, he dodged the question and again said his government made decisions based on the information available to it at that time.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an amended version of this story, correcting the date when the masking mandate could be removed.