The province in mandating masks in three Saskatchewan cities to address increasing COVID-19 case rates. Going into effect as of 12:01 am Friday, November 6, all residents are required to wear non-medical masks when in indoor public spaces. Transmission trends in rural and smaller centres has been linked primarily to private gatherings while transmission in the urban areas includes both private gatherings and exposures in public spaces.
All residents are required to wear non-medical masks when in indoor public spaces (https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/public-health-measures/guidance-on-homemade-masks), 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.
All residents are continue to reduce their close contacts and return to safe outings:
- Identify a single member of the household to do grocery shopping, run errands.
- Limits those errands to once per week.
- If you are working from home, ensure that your workplace will continue to support you to do so.
New COVID cases rise by 81; 97 recoveries reported
There are 81 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on November 3, 2020, bringing the provincial total to date to 3,373 cases. The new cases are located in the Far North West (1), Far North East (1), North West (14), North Central (16), North East (3), Saskatoon (29), Central East (6) and Regina (10) zones.
One case reported today has pending residence locations. Nine cases with pending residence locations on November 2 have been assigned to the North West (3), North Central (4), North East (1) and Regina (1) zones.
Of the 3,373 reported cases, 842 are considered active. A total of 2,506 people have recovered.
Twenty-eight people are in hospital. Twenty-one people are receiving inpatient care; two in the North West, five in the North Central, eight in the Saskatoon and six in the Regina zone. Seven people are in intensive care; two in North Central, four in Saskatoon and one in Regina.
Of the 3,373 cases in the province:
- 373 cases are travelers;
- 1,627 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
- 816 have no known exposures; and
- 557 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan to date:
- 105 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
- 686 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
- 1,227 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 954 are in the 40-59 age range; 422 are in the 60-79 age range; and 84 are in the 80-plus range.
- 50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
- 25 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
- There are:
- 874 cases from the Saskatoon area
- 712 cases from the north area (221 north west, 348 north central, 143 north east)
- 504 cases from the south area (230 south west, 215 south central, 59 south east)
- 448 cases from the far north area (393 far north west, 0 far north central, 55 far north east)
- 439 cases from the Regina area
- 391 cases from the central area (197 central west, 194 central east)
- Five cases currently have pending residence location
To date, 270,097 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of November 1, 2020 when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 181,302 people tested per million population. The national rate was 255,327 people tested per million population.
Yesterday, 1,931 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.
Indoor Gathering Sizes Reduced
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 which are all required to follow seating and physical distancing guidelines as described in the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.
Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Available in Yorkton, Regina and Saskatoon
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has established a drive-thru COVID testing site for Yorkton, in addition to the drive-thru options in Regina and Saskatoon:
Yorkton – 276 Myrtle Avenue
Monday to Friday 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Regina – International Trade Centre at Evraz Place – Hall C, 1700 Elphinstone Street
Sunday to Saturday – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saskatoon – 3630 Thatcher Avenue
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – 12 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays – 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
A valid Saskatchewan Health Card will be required for each person getting tested. A Canadian Armed Forces number or Interim Federal Health identification will also be accepted. Individuals from out of province will require a valid provincial health card from their province of residence.
You will be required to wear a mask during the registration process.
The drive-thru sites will be first come, first served so there may be some wait times. You must wait in your vehicle. There are no public washrooms available at these sites.
A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811, your physician or nurse practitioner. If you require urgent care, call 911.
Further information on testing, including drive-thru testing locations, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-testing.
