As of May 4, 2020, Saskatchewan has 34 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 467.

Twenty-nine of the new cases are in the Far North (La Loche and surrounding area), four of the new cases are in the North and one is in the Saskatoon area.

The locally reported presumptive positive cases noted on May 2 have now been confirmed and are accounted for in the total number of cases.

Of the 467 reported cases, 154 are considered active. Two more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 307.

There are currently 11 people in hospital; seven are receiving inpatient care (two in the North region and five in Saskatoon) and four are in intensive care (three in Saskatoon and one in the North).

Of the 467 cases in the province:
• 138 cases are travellers;
• 182 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 40 have no known exposures; and
• 107 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 43 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 162 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 110 from the Far North, 93 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 15 from the South, and 11 from the Central region.
• 51 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 167 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 152 are in the 40-59 age range; 82 are in the 60-79 age range; and 15 are in the 80-plus range.
• 49 per cent of the cases are males and 51 per cent are females.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 32,334 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 2, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 25,116 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 23,770 people tested per million population.

Re-Open Saskatchewan

Phase 1 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan begins today.

It allows public access to previously restricted medical services and provides specific guidelines related to parks and campgrounds, boat launches, fishing and golf courses.

A Public Health Order (https://www.saskatchewan.ca/-/media/files/coronavirus/public-health-measures/public-health-orders/order-may-3-2020-re-open-sk.pdf) is in place for Phase 1 of the plan.

Residents should remember that measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 must continue:
• Public and private gatherings are still limited to no more than 10 people.
• Continue physical distancing of two metres.
• People planning to form an extended household group with one or two families and friends should exercise extreme caution. The limit on gathering sizes still applies.
• Businesses that are not a critical public service or an allowable business listed on www.saskatchewan.ca remain closed.

The staged lifting of restrictions does not apply to the communities of La Loche and Lloydminster, which are currently managing outbreaks of COVID-19 cases.

Mental Health Week

May 4 to 10, 2020 is national Mental Health Week.

With the ongoing pandemic, many families and individuals are feeling additional strain. The Government of Canada has launched a new portal dedicated to mental wellness, Wellness Together Canada (https://ca.portal.gs/) to help provide support.

Additional support in Saskatchewan during this difficult time can be found at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/mental-health-and-covid-19#mental-health.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, 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.

As of May 3, 2020, Saskatchewan has 12 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 433.

Four of the new cases are in the North, four of the new cases are in the Far North and four are in the Saskatoon area. Several tests from the locally identified cases noted May 2 in the La Loche area are still pending. These cases are not yet recorded in the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory daily summaries, and so are not yet included in the total figures reported today.

Of the 433 reported cases, 122 are considered active. Three more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 305.

There are currently 14 people in hospital; 11 are receiving inpatient care (five in the North region and six in Saskatoon) and three are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).

Of the 433 cases in the province:

• 138 cases are travellers;
• 176 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 40 have no known exposures; and
• 79 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 42 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 161 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 89 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 81 from the Far North, 15 from the South, and 11 from the Central region.
• 40 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 159 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 141 are in the 40-59 age range; 78 are in the 60-79 age range; and 15 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are males and 50 per cent are females.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 31,572 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 1, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 24,562 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 22,934 people tested per million population.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, 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.

As of May 2, 2020, Saskatchewan has six new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 421.
Four of the new cases are in the North (two in the Lloydminster area and two in the Prince Albert area), one is in the Saskatoon area and one is in the Regina area.

Please note that there are eight locally identified presumptive positive cases from the La Loche area. These cases are not yet being reported by the RRPL, so are not yet included in the total figures reported today.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has advised of an outbreak in Beauval. A contact tracing investigation is underway.

Of the 421 reported cases, 113 are considered active. Five more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 302.

There are currently 12 people in hospital; 10 are receiving inpatient care (five in the North region and five in Saskatoon) and two are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).

Of the 421 cases in the province:

• 138 cases are travellers;
• 170 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 39 have no known exposures; and
• 74 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 42 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 157 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 85 from the north, 76 from the Regina area, 77 from the far north, 15 from the south, and 11 from the central region.
• 39 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 153 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 140 are in the 40-59 age range; 75 are in the 60-79 age range; and 14 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are males and 50 per cent are females.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 30,845 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 30, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 24,196 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 22,140 people tested per million population.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, 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.

As of May 1, 2020, Saskatchewan has 26 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 415.
Nineteen of the new cases are in the Far North (La Loche and surrounding area), four are in the North (three in Lloydminster) and three are in the Saskatoon area.

While there is only one COVID-19 positive case involving a patient at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, an outbreak has been declared at the hospital. Contact tracing and investigation is underway to ensure all contacts are identified and testing has been completed on all known contacts.

Of the 415 reported cases, 112 are considered active. Two more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 297.

There are currently 10 people in hospital; seven are receiving inpatient care (four in the North region and three in Saskatoon) and three are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).

Of the 415 cases in the province:
• 138 cases are travellers;
• 163 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 38 have no known exposures; and
• 76 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 40 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 156 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 81 from the north, 75 from the Regina area, 77 from the far north, 15 from the south, and 11 from the central region.
• 39 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 151 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 139 are in the 40-59 age range; 73 are in the 60-79 age range; and 13 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are males and 50 per cent are females.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 30,357 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 29, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 23,658 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 20,971 people tested per million population.

Information on Critical Travel in the North

The Ministry of Health recommends proper road travel etiquette for critical travel in the North to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The only people who should be travelling to the North are people returning to their primary residence, and people going to La Ronge or Stoney Rapids. No one should be stopping in between communities or travelling between them.

The following measures should also be observed:
• Limit outings to one person per household, or limit the occupants in a vehicle only to members of the same household.
• Carpooling or ride sharing should be discontinued wherever possible. If carpooling must occur, physical distancing should be maintained as much as possible. This may include having people sit in the back.
• Everyone in the vehicle must wash their hands frequently and practice good respiratory etiquette (cover sneezes and coughs with a tissue or your arm). Consider wearing a cloth or surgical mask when unable to maintain two metre distance from non-family members.
• Stay home. Do not travel or share a vehicle if you are ill or have symptoms of COVID-19.
• People may travel to the closest community of their primary home to buy essential goods and services that are not available in their home community.
• Follow physical distancing directions provided by the grocery store. Keep a distance of two metres from other customers, even in the checkout line.
• Do not go shopping if you are sick or symptomatic. Make use of community or delivery services where possible.

Communities without grocery stores are encouraged to create bulk purchasing plans with its members in order to limit travel. Communities should also work with their regional partners to facilitate efficient critical travel to and from hubs for items such as groceries and medication.

Shoppers should contact stores prior to visiting in case there are customer limits.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, 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.