There are 42 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 23, bringing the total to 1,072 cases.  The new cases are located in the South (23), Central (11), North (3), Far North (3) and Saskatoon (2) regions.

One person from the North who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.  This person was in the 60-69 age range.

Of the 42 cases reported today, 17 are from colonies in the southwest and west central regions where there were existing cases.  There are currently 15 Hutterite communities with active cases in both the southwest and west central regions.

Of the 1,072 reported cases, 218 are considered active.  A total of 838 people have recovered.

Thirteen people are in hospital.  Nine people are receiving inpatient care; five in Saskatoon, two in the North, one in the South and one in Regina.  Four people are in intensive care; three in Saskatoon and one in the South.

Of the 1,072 cases in the province:

• 192 cases are travellers;
• 559 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 205 have no known exposures; and
• 116 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.
• 347 of the cases are from the Far North, 218 are from the Saskatoon area, 196 from the South, 128 from the North, 96 from the Central region and 87 from the Regina area.
• 161 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 359 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 335 are in the 40-59 age range; 183 are in the 60-79 age range; and 34 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• 16 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 86,384 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of July 21, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 62,798 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 97,362 people tested per million population.

Yesterday, an all-time high of 1,468 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.

Travel in Affected Communities

Last week, everyone in the affected areas was asked to take the following steps to protect yourself and others, and reduce further spread of COVID-19:

1. Stay in your home community as much as possible.
2. Self-isolate and get tested if you are feeling unwell at all.
3. Self-isolate and get tested if you have been in contact with anyone who is known to have tested positive.
4. Limit your interpersonal contacts and group gatherings as much as possible.

The Government of Saskatchewan continues to work with the leaders of all communities where a significant number of cases exist to enact further restrictions on all non-essential travel into and out of their communities.  This includes travel between Hutterite communities.  It is recognized that some essential travel will be required and that will be limited to a small number of designated individuals for each community.

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.

Since introducing universal testing, there has been an increase in requests to be tested with the corresponding increase in provincial testing numbers.  The SHA is working to ensure responsive service timing.  If you are experiencing worsening symptoms, contact your physician’s office.  If you require urgent care, call 911.

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 60 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 22, bringing the total to 1,030 cases.  The new cases are located in the South (50), Saskatoon (4), Central (3), Far North (2) and North (1) regions.

Of the 60 cases reported today, 48 are from colonies in the southwest and west central regions.  Forty-three of those are located in a single communal living setting in the RM of Lawtonia.

There are currently 17 Hutterite communities with active cases in the following Rural Municipalities:

• Auverge (No. 76)
• Biggar (No. 347)
• Carmichael (No. 109)
• Eagle Creek (No. 376)
• Grandview (No. 349)
• Harris (No. 316)
• Kindersley (No. 290)
• Lawtonia (No. 135)
• Maple Creek (No. 111)
• Newcombe (No. 260)
• Perdue (No. 346)
• Pleasant Valley (No. 288)
• Prariedale (No. 321)
• Saskatchewan Landing (No. 167)
• St. Andrews (No. 287)
• Tramping Lake (No. 380)
• Webb (No. 138)

Of the 1,030 reported cases, 190 are considered active.  A total of 825 people have recovered.

Thirteen people are in hospital.  Ten people are receiving inpatient care; six in Saskatoon, two in the South and two in the North.  Three people are in intensive care; two in Saskatoon and one in the South.

Of the 1,030 cases in the province:

• 189 cases are travellers;
• 532 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 184 have no known exposures; and
• 125 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.
• 344 of the cases are from the Far North, 216 are from the Saskatoon area, 173 from the South, 125 from the North, 87 from the Regina area and 85 from the Central region.
• 154 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 349 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 320 are in the 40-59 age range; 174 are in the 60-79 age range; and 33 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, 84,916 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of July 20, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 61,924 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 96,217 people tested per million population.  Testing continues to be performed at a high rate, with 1,240 COVID-19 tests being conducted yesterday.

Travel in Affected Communities

Last week, everyone was asked in the affected areas to take the following steps to protect yourself and others, and reduce further spread of COVID-19:

1. Stay in your home community as much as possible.
2. Self-isolate and get tested if you are feeling unwell at all.
3. Self-isolate and get tested if you have been in contact with anyone who is known to have tested positive.
4. Limit your interpersonal contacts and group gatherings as much as possible.

Given the continued increase of active cases, the Government of Saskatchewan is working with the leaders of all communities where a significant number of cases exist to enact further restrictions on all non-essential travel into and out of their communities.  This includes travel between Hutterite communities.  It is recognized that some essential travel will be required and that will be limited to a small number of designated individuals for each community.

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 19 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 20, bringing the total to 962 cases.  The new cases are located in the Central (8), Saskatoon (5), South (5) and North (1) regions.

Of the 962 reported cases, 145 are considered active.  A total of 802 people have recovered.

Ten people are in hospital.  Seven people are receiving inpatient care; five in Saskatoon, one in the South and one in the North.  Three people are in intensive care; two in Saskatoon and one in the South.

Of the 962 cases in the province:

• 184 cases are travellers;
• 519 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 167 have no known exposures; and
• 92 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.
• 340 of the cases are from the Far North, 211 are from the Saskatoon area, 124 from the North, 120 from the South, 87 from the Regina area and 80 from the Central region.
• 133 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 331 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 300 are in the 40-59 age range; 167 are in the 60-79 age range; and 31 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, 82,943 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of July 18, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 60,463 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 93,658 people tested per million population.

COVID-19 tests continue to be performed at a high rate.  Since Sunday, 1,319 COVID-19 tests were performed, resulting in a total of 3,953 tests taking place over the past three days.

COVID-19 Awareness

Since mid-June, there has been an increase in cases in the southwest and west-central parts of Saskatchewan, both on colonies and in the broader community.  Public health investigation is ongoing to determine transmission chains and to identify contacts.  While most of the recent new cases have been in southwest and west-central Saskatchewan, the risk of COVID-19 transmission continues to exist in every part of the province.  This is why everyone must continue to take precautions and follow public health measures.

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 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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