There are a growing number of COVID-19 positive cases and rising level of transmission within communities and communal living venues in southwest and west-central Saskatchewan.  While some cases have links to communal settings, it is crucial to note that there are also several other, unrelated increases in cases in this geographical area.  This overall increased level of COVID-19 activity means there is an increased risk of transmission to the public.

There are 42 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 16, bringing the total to 923 cases.

Thirty-one (31) of the new cases are in the South, six are in the Central region, four are in the Saskatoon region and one is in the North.

Of the 923 reported cases, 114 are considered active.  A total of 794 people have recovered.

Eleven (11) people are in hospital.  Nine people are receiving inpatient care; seven in Saskatoon, one in the South and one in the North.  Two people are in intensive care; one in Saskatoon and one in the South.

Of the 923 cases in the province:

• 180 cases are travellers;
• 504 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 134 have no known exposures; and
• 105 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 58 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 339 of the cases are from the Far North, 204 are from the Saskatoon area, 121 from the North, 115 from the South, 85 from the Regina area and 59 from the Central region.
• 130 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 321 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 285 are in the 40-59 age range; 161 are in the 60-79 age range; and 26 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• 15 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 78,851 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of July 14, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 56,964 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 88,906 people tested per million population.

Visitor Restrictions

As a result of an increased risk for COVID-19 in the southwest and west-central areas of Saskatchewan, visitation at Cypress Regional Hospital, long-term care homes and personal care homes in the area will be temporarily restricted.

At Cypress Regional Hospital, family members or support people will only be permitted for compassionate reasons.

In long-term care homes and personal care homes, visitation will be restricted to outdoor visits and end-of-life care.

The full advisory from the Saskatchewan Health Authority can be found here at https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/releases/Pages/2020/July/Visitor-restrictions-at-CRH-and-LTC-in-SW-and-West-Central-Saskatchewan.aspx.

Remember the Fundamentals to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission
Saskatchewan residents across the province are reminded to follow the public health measures and personal safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Safety precautions include:

• physical distancing to maintain two metres of separation;
• implementing proper hygiene practices (coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow);
• frequent handwashing; 
• self-isolating if you are sick; 
• avoiding crowded places; and
• following provincial public health orders.

Anyone with symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose or a loss of sense of taste or smell, should protect themselves and others by staying home, self-isolating and getting tested for COVID-19.

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.

There are 31 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 13.  In addition, there were two cases reported on July 11 and 23 cases reported on July 12.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan to 871, as of July 13.

The regional data is as follows:

• July 11 – one new case in the Central region and one in the South.
• July 12 – 13 new cases in the South, five in the Saskatoon area, three in Central and two in the Regina area.
• July 13 – 27 new cases in the Central region, two in the Regina area, one in the Saskatoon area and one in the South.

 Previously reported COVID-19 infections in the Southwest now stretch farther and there is growing evidence of spread throughout Southwest and West-Central Saskatchewan.

This includes cases in the following Rural Municipalities:

• Maple Creek (No. 111) 
• Auvergne (No. 76) 
• Biggar (No. 347) 
• Carmichael (No. 109) 
• Eagle Creek (No. 376) 
• Harris (No. 316) 
• Lac Pelletier (No. 107) 
• Newcombe (No. 260) 
• Perdue (No. 346)
• Kellross (No. 247)
• Prairiedale (No. 321)

The Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority are working together with the Hutterian Safety Council to address the situation.  Their cooperation has allowed for increased testing and contact tracing in these areas, which greatly contributed to identifying these new cases and ensuring residents are receiving the support they need.

Over the next number of days increased testing and contact tracing resources will be deployed to the affected communities and surrounding areas. 

Saskatchewan residents in these communities and across the province, are strongly encouraged to follow the necessary public health measures and personal safety precautions, including self-isolating if you or a close contact have tested positive for COVID-19.

Of the 871 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 90 are considered active.  A total of 766 people have recovered. 

Three people are in hospital.  One individual is receiving inpatient care in Saskatoon.  Two people are in intensive care; one in Saskatoon and one in the South.

Of the 871 cases in the province:

• 174 cases are travellers;
• 487 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 128 have no known exposures; and
• 82 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 57 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 339 of the cases are from the Far North, 198 are from the Saskatoon area, 120 from the North, 84 from the Regina area, 83 from the South and 47 from the Central region.
• 121 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 309 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 269 are in the 40-59 age range; 149 are in the 60-79 age range; and 23 are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are females and 48 per cent are males.
• 15 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 75,161 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of July 11, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 55,404 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 85,473 people tested per million population.
 
Stay Safe

Saskatchewan residents should follow public health measures and personal safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Safety precautions include physical distancing to maintain two metres of separation, implementing proper hygiene practices and complying with provincial health orders, including limiting the size of outdoor gatherings.

Anyone with symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose or a loss of sense of taste or smell, should protect themselves and others, especially the vulnerable, by staying home, self-isolating and getting tested for COVID-19.

COVID-19 Testing

Beginning July 14, COVID-19 testing will be available universally to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.  A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811.  SHA laboratories are currently processing approximately 600 tests per day, with capacity to perform upwards of 1,800 tests per day.

On July 3, 2020, at approximately 1:30 p.m., an officer from the Craik RCMP Detachment stopped a vehicle for speeding northbound on Highway 11 near Davidson, SK.

Officers located and seized approximately 50-1 kg bricks of suspected cocaine packaged for distribution, burner phones and approximately $3,600.

Officers from the Federal Serious and Organized Crime Team South assisted Craik RCMP with the investigation.

24-year-old Jitpartap Singh Bhatti, of Brampton, ON, was arrested and has been charged with trafficking cocaine.

A 30-year-old Harmdeep Sandhu, of Brampton, ON, was arrested and has been charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of proceeds of crime.

Sandhu and Bhatti appeared in Provincial Court in Moose Jaw, SK, on July 7, 2020, and were released on strict conditions. Both are scheduled to return to court on July 27, 2020, in Moose Jaw at 9:30 a.m.

The investigation is ongoing.

A full video statement about the investigation is available on our
Saskatchewan RCMP YouTube page here [https://youtu.be/6MutfjH9BRY].

Photos of the seized items are attached.

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Saskatchewan’s annual summer free fishing weekend is July 11 and 12.  On this weekend, residents and visitors can fish in any of Saskatchewan’s public waters open to sport fishing, no licence required.

“Free fishing weekend is a great opportunity to spend time outdoors to discover – or re-discover – the wonderful angling opportunities our province offers,” Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said.  “In
Saskatchewan, you can stay close to home while enjoying some of the best freshwater fishing in the world.”

During free fishing weekend, all other fishing regulations remain in
effect.  As well, anglers must respect current public health orders and guidance to help prevent further spread of COVID-19.

Travel restrictions may be in effect for some areas, so please check your destination before leaving home.  Free fishing weekend does not apply in national parks.  Anyone planning on taking fish out of the province must purchase a licence.

More information about fishing in Saskatchewan, including the 2020 Anglers Guide and updates about angling during the pandemic, is available atwww.saskatchewan.ca/fishing.

Saskatchewan’s first free fishing weekend was held in the summer of 1989, to encourage people to try sport fishing and to highlight the variety of angling opportunities in the province.

In 2015, the province held its first winter free fishing weekend, which is now also an annual event.  Each year, more than a quarter of a million people sport fish in Saskatchewan.

As of July 6, there are 805 total cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan. This includes two new cases reported on July 4, four new cases reported on July 5 and three new cases reported on July 6.

Three of the cases are in the Far North region, one is in the North region, one is in the Central region, two are in the Saskatoon area and two are in the South region. Detailed COVID-19 data for July 4, 5 and 6 is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

Of the 805 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 59 are considered active. A total of 732 people have recovered. Four people are in hospital.

Three individuals are receiving inpatient care in the hospital; two in the North and one in Saskatoon. One person is in intensive care in Saskatoon.

Of the 805 cases in the province:
• 167 cases are travellers;
• 480 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 113 have no known exposures; and
• 45 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 55 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 338 of the cases are from the Far North, 189 are from the Saskatoon area, 119 from the North, 80 from the Regina area, 66 from the South and 13 from the Central region.
• 116 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 282 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 253 are in the 40-59 age range; 133 are in the 60-79 age range; and 21 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• 14 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
 
To date, 69,890 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of July 4, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 51,755 people tested per million population. The national rate was 78,238 people tested per million population.

COVID-19 Testing

Testing for COVID-19 is available to anyone currently working outside the home or anyone returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Testing is also available to:
• Those being admitted to acute care for more than 24 hours, including expectant mothers.
• Immunocompromised individuals and their health care providers.

If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose or a loss of your sense of taste or smell, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.