Northern residents asked to stay within communities

People who live in the northern half of Saskatchewan are advised against travelling outside their communities.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued the advisory on Friday along with the Athabasca Health Authority and the Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority.

The advisory was prompted by increasing case numbers in the region, many of which are linked to travel within Saskatchewan and out of province, a government statement said.

It advises against travel out of the northern half of Saskatchewan, known as the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District (NSAD). The advisory also recommends that residents refrain from travel between communities except for “essential services.”

“I'm one of those people who likes to listen to the experts,” La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushniak said in an interview.

The advisory is in effect until further notice. The province banned all travel to and from the northern half of the province and between communities in the spring, in an unprecedented move to combat the spread of COVID-19. Ratushniak said he understands the hardship the advisory will create, especially so close to Christmas.

“If we don't act now, some of these people when Christmas of 2021 comes may not be sitting at the dinner table,” he said. La Ronge council has not discussed roadblocks or checkpoints like those implemented in the spring by some northern communities to prevent unnecessary travel, he added. La Ronge is the largest community in the NSAD, with 6,863 people, according to SHA statistics.

As of Friday afternoon, there was only one active case in the town, plus eight active cases in the nearby Lac La Ronge Indian Band and seven presumptive cases in the village of Air Ronge, Ratushniak said.

The NSAD as a whole has more than double the per capita numbers of active cases compared to the province as a whole. Active cases increased to 508 on Friday in a population of 56,723, for a positivity rate of 896 per 100,000 people.

Active cases per 100,000 in the zone that includes Fond du Lac and Stony Rapids stood at 1,728 on Friday to lead the province, with 46 actives in a population of 2,662. The subzone that includes Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay was not far behind, with 1,527 actives per 100,000 — 134 cases in a population of 8,774.

The province announced 246 more people have tested positive for COVID-19, but no more people diagnosed with the virus have died.

It marks the first time no new deaths have been announced since Saturday. Deaths have risen by 20, up to 75, so far this week.

The province also announced 387 recoveries, which helped reduce active cases to 4,547. The province expects active cases to decline as it reviews the status of people diagnosed with the virus.

The number of people in hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19 dipped to 133, including 27 receiving intensive care.

The new cases included 65 in the Saskatoon zone and 50 in the Regina zone. The seven-day average for new cases stayed stable at 282 or 23.3 cases per 100,000 people. Total diagnosed cases rose to 11,475.

On Thursday, 3,497 tests were processed, which means the positivity rate was about seven per cent.

Saskatchewan remained in second spot among province and territories, with 399 active cases per 100,000 people, more than double the Canadian average of 195. Alberta led with 461, while Manitoba sat third with 393.