Saskatchewan to lift travel ban to La Loche; active cases dwindle

SASKATOON Saskatchewan’s northwest is set to rejoin the rest of the province on Monday.

The Saskatchewan government announced the unprecedented ban on non-critical travel to the north will be lifted next week and the first two phases of the province’s reopening plan will start Monday in the northern village of La Loche.

La Loche, about 515 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, became the focus for new COVID -19 cases in the province in April and May.

In an interview Tuesday, Mayor Robert St. Pierre declined to call efforts to stop the spread of the pandemic a success. He’ll wait until there are no active cases remaining in the community, he said.

“It’s been a lot of work and it’s a measure that people are looking forward to,” St. Pierre said of the first phases of reopening. “It’s been a tough battle. I like the results so far.”

The province announced no new cases anywhere in the province on Tuesday, and 14 more recoveries. Active cases in the province dropped to 33 out of 646 diagnosed, the lowest number since March 20.

Two people diagnosed with COVID-19 remained in hospital, both in intensive care. In the Saskatoon region, which led the province in diagnosed cases in March and April, active cases dipped to three from a peak of 100 on April 7.

Active cases in the far north region that covers the top half of the province dwindled to 23 from a peak of 156 on May 10.

Premier Scott Moe thanked community leaders, health care workers and residents for stopping the spread of the pandemic in the northwest.

“This is good news,” Moe said at the province’s daily briefing. “But everyone in that part of the province must, like the rest of us, remain vigilant and continue to follow all of the physical distancing measures that have worked so well over the past few weeks.”

In addition to the lifting of the travel ban, the province announced the expansion of the limit for outdoor gatherings in the northwest to 20. In the rest of the province, permissible gatherings increase to 15 people indoors and 30 outdoors on Monday, part of the third phase of Saskatchewan’s reopening plan.

The first phase of the province’s reopening plan, which allowed some health services like dentistry and optometry to resume, started May 4 elsewhere in Saskatchewan. Phase 2, which permitted retail stores and other personal care services to reopen, started May 19.

No date has so far been set for Phase 3 in the northwest, but Moe said he is hopeful that Phase 4 could begin in the province before the end of the month. Moe and Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said a start date and rules for Phase 4 are already being considered.

Phase 3 allows restaurants and gyms to reopen. Phase 4 would permit entertainment and recreational facilities — ranging from swimming pools to casinos to theatres — to reopen, and allow gatherings of up to 30 people.

While Shahab said the province has done well during the pandemic, he cautioned against complacency and urged people to still practise physical distancing.