MORE REOPENINGS FOR SASK.
Libraries, museums added to list
SASKATOON Libraries, museums, art galleries and theatres can reopen on Monday, but a packed house for a summer movie blockbuster remains prohibited.
The Saskatchewan government announced Tuesday the next round of reopenings under Phase 4 of its incremental plan to restore the province’s economy.
The rules for galleries, museums, theatres and libraries are similar to those for other facilities that have reopened amid the COVID -19 pandemic with physical distancing requirements and increased cleaning.
Like places of worship, theatres will be limited to 30 per cent capacity, up to a maximum of 150 people; two metres of space are required between groups.
“I think we’re aware of how we can minimize transmission, but not eliminate it totally,” the province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said during a pandemic briefing.
“And we’re also aware that the settings, whether it’s in a friend’s backyard, or whether it’s at work or whether it’s at a movie theatre, we all need to self-monitor so we give each other the space.”
Dates for the rest of Phase 4 are expected in the next two weeks, including indoor pools, rinks, casinos and bingo halls.
The province also announced that campgrounds, which had been limited to half capacity, can open completely on Friday. Shuttered locker-rooms, showers and change rooms can also open at gyms, beaches, campgrounds and golf courses.
Changing rooms at clothing stores can also now operate at full capacity.
Full-contact outdoor sports are also allowed to resume, but minileagues with a maximum total of 50 people are advised.
Amid all the lifting of restrictions, the province imposed a new one: cloth masks are now required for staff working in restaurants and bars, gyms and personal care services like hairstylists if two metres of distance between customers cannot be maintained.
Shahab seemed to push harder on Tuesday for the use of non-medical masks than he has before, even pulling a colourful mask out of his pocket several times during the news conference.
The reopening announcements came on a day when the province recorded 11 new COVID -19 cases, including 10 in the far north and one in the Saskatoon region. In the last nine days, 98 new cases have been diagnosed.
Total Saskatchewan cases stand at 753 after nine cases were removed from the province’s total because the diagnosed people did not reside here. Active cases in the far north rose to 53 after dropping to six on June 8.
Active cases in the south region followed, with 35, and then Saskatoon with nine.
Shahab said the active cases were linked mainly to two outbreaks, one from a wake and funeral in the La Loche area (far north) and one on Hutterite colonies in the Rural Municipality of Maple Creek (south). The rise in cases in the far north is linked to transmission within households, Shahab said.”
Shahab said testing was also key to proceeding with reopening during the pandemic. Saskatchewan’s testing rate of 46,036 per one million people still lags behind the national testing rate of 65,022 per one million.
The Saskatoon Public Library said it will release details of its reopening plan in the coming days.