COVID-19 shuts two Sask. daycares
REGINA The NDP is calling for a different child care model as a possible COVID -19 case has closed two Regina daycares. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan has recorded its third coronavirus death — a person in their 80s.
The Regina YMCA has temporarily closed its Northwest and Rochdale child care centres, both in the YMCA building on Rochdale Boulevard, as a child and their parent required COVID-19 testing.
“It’s just one more example of where social and physical distancing is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus and to keep people safe,” NDP Leader Ryan Meili said on Wednesday.
“A much better model would be to have either very, very small centres, less than seven kids, or — and I think this is the ideal model — in home, where there’s a network of care providers who are trained on how to keep themselves safe and prevent transmission of infection,” added Meili.
In that kind of setup, “we won’t then have groups of children that are together, potentially passing on the virus to each other and then back up to families. It’s going to take a bit more effort, but it’s absolutely worth it to prevent the transmission of the virus.”
YMCA CEO Steve Compton said, of the two family members who required testing, one test result has come back negative.
The child care centres will reopen as soon as possible if the second test also has a negative result. If a test is positive, the centres will remain closed for at least 12 more days, having closed Monday.
Compton said the YMCA has been “proactive,” with “increased daily monitoring and frequent cleaning schedule” to maintain safety. He also said child care attendance has decreased “considerably” in recent weeks.
“On average there have been only 10 children per centre separated by age groups, in separate areas.
During this time and of course over different shifts, there have been around 30 staff within the two centres,” Compton continued in an email.
Meili said “there’s not enough information being shared” with child care workers, who have asked him how to keep their centres clean and protect kids.
On its COVID-19 website, the provincial government has a fourpage document of “information for licensed child care facilities” on COVID-19.
NDP education critic Carla Beck added the government should take measures around child care fees and spaces: Many parents are choosing to keep their kids at home, “but worrying that if they don’t pay their April fees, that their space will no longer be there after the crisis is over. That is a level of uncertainty that families simply can’t withstand.”
She is also demanding a wage top-up for staff, who are caring for the children of essential services’ workers.
“This is a sector of professionals that make on average $16 an hour, some making as little as $12 an hour.
“They often have to work multiple jobs just to pay their bills. This has been a long-standing problem within child care, but certainly at this time, these workers are providing an essential service,” said Beck.
Meili said he has heard from child care centres that have been told “if they shut down when they’re supposed to stay open, they could lose their funding once the pandemic is over.”
Premier Scott Moe said “there will be certain instances where the operators of individual daycares may choose to not operate during this time. In saying that, we have provided the opportunity for daycares to operate, albeit in a restricted fashion ...”
THIRD DEATH RECORDED
Saskatchewan reported its third death due to COVID-19 on Wednesday. The person was in their 80s.
The two previous deaths reported were people in their 70s.
Saskatchewan chief medical officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said none of the three people lived in a longterm care facility.
The government is not divulging other identifying information about the deceased, including where they lived or died.
Eleanor Widdowson identified her sister as one of the deceased; 75-year-old Alice Grove lived on a farm near North Battleford and had pre-existing health conditions.
The province also reported nine new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the provincial total to 193.
THE CURVE IS BEING FLATTENED
Moe said there may be increases in the coming days, but “what we are doing is working; it most certainly is working to help lessen the impact to increase the opportunity that we have for our health-care system to be able to handle what may be coming at it.”
He thanked Saskatchewan residents for doing their part in staying safe and social distancing.
NO CHANGE TO INFORMATION REPORTING
The government is still not divulging the names of communities with COVID-19 cases, aside from Regina and Saskatoon. Cases outside the two largest centres are being reported by region — far north, north, central, south.
There have been suggestions — including from the NDP — that naming communities could encourage people to take increased safety precautions and better practise social distancing.
Shahab said it would be “very dangerous” to change our actions depending on known cases.
“The risk actually is throughout Saskatchewan,” said Shahab. “There’s no way to predict which community and which household may have a mild asymptomatic case.
“If there was a community that had no cases, would that mean that I should not practise social distancing or physical distancing? Absolutely not. Does that mean that people are free to mix among households? Absolutely not,” added Shahab.
“I think we cannot rely on test-positive numbers by community to dictate our actions. Some of the higher numbers in Regina and Saskatoon are only because of higher populations.
“If you calculate a rate by regions of Saskatchewan, we have COVID -19 tests positive throughout.”