Here are some highlights from Wednesday’s COVID-19 update by the province from Regina:
At the news conference the province touted low numbers with just two new cases and four more recoveries, bringing the active case count to 29.
Premier Scott Moe noted it was one of the lowest case numbers seen since the pandemic first hit in March.
“I want to say thank you to each and every one in the province,” said Moe.
He also noted there is now a low number of cases in Hutterite communities and thanked community leaders and the Hutterian Safety Council for their cooperation in addressing the outbreak. “Those efforts have worked, your communities are now safer,” said Moe.
Moe noted at the news conference that schools were set to return next week (Sept. 8, and he addressed the issue of the safe return to schools.
“The best way for us to keep COVID-19 out of our schools is to keep a COVID-19 out of our communities,” said Moe.
Moe thanked school divisions for doing “a very good job in preparing the detailed plans” for the safe-return to school, and thanked teachers and other staff for spending the week getting schools ready for the return of students. He noted school would be different this fall, but Moe said students and teachers were looking forward to going back to school, and expressed confidence schools could be re-opened safely .
Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab also addressed the low case numbers in the province. He noted in the last week or so the effective reproductive number for COVID-19 in the province had dropped to .5 and was well below one throughout the province. He called it a big achievement for the province.
“Right now, we are in a really good position for the restart of schools next week,” said Dr. Shahab.
Dr. Shahab also noted that Public Health was working on a daily basis with school divisions and “we are fully prepared to work with schools to manage the occasional case or cluster if we were to see one.”
He also cited the importance of staying home and seeking testing in the event of symptoms, and noted all staff and students were encouraged to self monitor and seek testing throughout the coming weeks.
A big message from the province on Wednesday was urging Saskatchewan residents to avoid unnecessary travel to other provinces. Moe noted neighbours to the east and west, in Manitoba and Alberta, were seeing rising case numbers and he urged people who don’t have to travel to not do so.
Moe was particularly asked about billboards in downtown Regina by the province of Manitoba urging them to “find their heart in Manitoba” and whether that was sending the wrong message. He responded that when those billboards were booked, things may have been different with respect to the numbers. “The numbers fluctuate very quickly,” Moe said.
The premier was also asked about whether the province could soon move to Phase Five, to allow for larger scale events. Moe said there was “not a lot of consideration being given to that.”
He did acknowledge there had been some organizations that have reached out and had been working with Dr. Shahab and Public Health to “safely have some type of event.”
He particularly noted discussions around gate-driven leagues and referenced the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But as for a mass level-5, "there was no discussion about that at this point.”
Dr. Shahab concurred.
“Up to such time that there’s an effective vaccine, for example, what we absolutely must do is maintain the precautions for the most vulnerable,” he said.
