The Saskatchewan Health Authority has announced it is further clamping down on the number of people allowed inside homes.
As of 12:01 a.m. on Friday, the public health orders will be amended, enhancing measures to address increasing COVID-19 case rates in the province of Saskatchewan.
Transmission trends in rural and smaller centres have been linked primarily to private gatherings while transmission in the urban areas includes both private gatherings and exposures in public spaces.
The maximum allowable gathering size for private gatherings in the home setting will decrease to 10, down from 15. This maximum allowable size includes those household members who ordinarily reside in the dwelling.
Any event that occurs in a private dwelling and any outbuildings (garages, etc.) including weddings, religious gathering and funerals must abide by the 10 person gathering limit.
The 10-person limit does not apply to households with more than 10 family members living in the same residence.
If you are planning any gathering larger than 10, you must host the gathering in a public venue (restaurant, banquet hall, etc.) and abide by the guidelines that apply to that location. Restaurants, licensed establishments, banquet halls as well as weddings, funerals and religious gatherings are all required to follow seating and physical distancing guidelines as described in the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.
Also, All residents are required to wear non-medical masks when in indoor public spaces, as listed at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert. This public health order will be in place for 28 days, then subject to review by the chief medical health officer.
Enforcement is permitted under the Public Health Act; however, compliance through education is the primary preference of public health. Public health will closely monitor compliance and encourage all individuals, businesses and organizations to abide by the masking order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Enforcement options will be considered based on observed compliance with the order.
For all communities, health officials strongly recommend wearing a non-medical mask anywhere outside the home as an additional measure to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Non-medical or cloth masks can play an important role in settings where physical distancing is not possible or is unpredictable.
