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March 28, 2024 15:56

SK Government Through Being Patient

By Carol Baldwin, Wakaw Recorder

Premier Moe announced on his Facebook page this morning that effective tomorrow September 17th a mandatory indoor masking policy will take effect for all indoor public spaces. The order is targeted to be lifted in late October at which time a full proof of vaccination or negative test requirement will have been fully implemented for approximately three weeks. The proof of vaccination or negative test policy which comes into effect October 1st, will apply to many non-essential businesses and establishments and event venues. These non-essential businesses and establishments include entertainment venues, indoor dining restaurants, nightclubs, bars and taverns, events and entertainment venues including conference centres, casinos, movie theatres, concert and live-music venues, museums, and indoor fitness centres and gyms. Youth under the age of 18, will not be required to mask while involved in youth athletics, but they will need to mask during entry and exit from the sporting venue. Proof of vaccination will not be required for retail businesses including grocery stores, places of worship, fast food restaurants offering takeout and delivery, professional or personal services, health care services, hotels and motels, facilities hosting non-ticketed amateur sporting events,business meetings and places of business that are not open to the general public, and private gatherings held in an indoor public venue such as weddings.

“As a government, we have been patient with those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated. But the time for patience is over,” the Premier stated. “This patience has come to an end.” The personal choices of those who choose not to be vaccinated, he continued, is now significantly impacting all others in the province. The new measures announced today are to address the pressure being felt in the province’s health care sector which is being driven primarily by the unvaccinated. New cases and hospitalizations are overwhelmingly among this group. The Premier clarified that those who choose to remain unvaccinated and therefore need frequent testing to provide a negative-COVID test result will be required to pay for the testing themselves, the tests will not be funded by the Saskatchewan health system.

In addition, as of October 1st, all employees of Saskatchewan Crown ministries and agencies will need to be vaccinated or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. In conjunction with the Public Service Commission and Crown Investments Corporation, the Government of Saskatchewan will communicate the associated protocols to their employees in the coming days. The Premier expressed the hope that other employers including school divisions will require the same. Some of the acceptable proofs of vaccination will include the vaccination card individuals received at the time of their vaccinations, a screen-shot of the eHealth record showing one’s vaccination status, a print out of the eHealth record, or the government developed individual QR code.

The Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement in conjunction with the Ministry of Health is working to procure and distribute rapid-antigen tests for widespread access, the recommendations to stay home at the first sign of any symptoms and seek testing through the Saskatchewan Health Authority remain in effect. Residents will be able to obtain rapid-antigen tests for use as a self-administered screening tool from several locations operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and partner agencies. Locations will be published in the coming days as rapid-antigen tests are delivered. 

If cases do not start tending downward other measures may be necessary, Dr Shahab stated. “It is astounding to see the 98 % of children who test positive are in households who are unvaccinated, about 330 cases so far.” As for the state of the health care system, SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said, “We will be tested as an organization like we have never been tested before over the upcoming weeks.” Even with these new measures, the number of cases of COVID-19 already in the community will ultimately create a surge in people needing treatment before we can expect to see any improvement.