Province records highest daily coronavirus count
Rise in new cases comes as first phase of reopening set to begin
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe expressed confidence in the start of the government’s plan to slowly reopen, despite the highest single-day count of new COVID-19 cases.
The government announced 34 new confirmed cases of COVID -19 on Monday, the starting day for Phase 1 of the plan to restart the province’s shuttered economy by permitting some health services like dentistry and physiotherapy to resume.
Most of the new cases, 29, are located in the La Loche area, where the reopening plan will be delayed due to the outbreak. The cases announced Monday include eight presumptive cases that were identified on Saturday.
The previous daily high for identified cases, 30, dates back to March 27.
The total Saskatchewan case count jumped to 467; nearly twothirds of the province’s 154 active cases are located in the far north region that includes the village of La Loche.
“While that number is very concerning, it means that increased testing in that area is working,” Moe told reporters at his daily briefing. The low case numbers in most of the province show efforts to prevent the spread are working, Moe added.
“This virus can and it will spread quickly if we let our guard down even for a moment,” he added.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) will announce on Tuesday the resumption of some services and non-urgent surgeries and procedures that had been halted, Moe said.
SHA chief executive Scott Livingstone confirmed that a positive case of COVID-19 identified at Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital last week was linked to the La Loche outbreak.
The lone Prince Albert case prompted the SHA to declare an outbreak.
Livingstone revealed some more details about the province’s COVID-19 hot spots, noting that often the information becomes outdated immediately.
Although only the one case has been identified at Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital, some hospital services like intensive care have been reduced.
Seven Victoria Hospital patients are being isolated for possible contact and 46 out of 91 health-care workers have been tested; the rest were expected to be tested by Tuesday.
Of 98 cases located in the far north region of Saskatchewan, 76 are linked to La Loche, Livingstone said. Another nine cases are linked to the case at Beauval General Store announced last week.
Drive-thru testing is available at health centres in Beauval, Buffalo Narrows and La Loche. Livingstone said anyone who wants a test in these communities can get one.
An unprecedented ban on “non-critical” travel in the northern half of the province remains in place to help reduce the spread of the virus.
Moe promised a “much more active role” by the provincial government to control the La Loche outbreak, including an increased presence at the checkpoints along roads and highways in the far north.
Monday’s reopening was delayed in La Loche and Lloydminster, where an outbreak at Lloydminster Hospital was made public on Wednesday. Moe said Lloydminster is now in a “much better place” and the pause on the reopening plan in the border city will now be reconsidered.
Moe said he “feels confident” in the province’s incremental plan to allow businesses to reopen despite the spike in cases.
NDP Opposition Leader Ryan Meili said on Twitter on Monday that the government should rethink the start of the second phase of reopening on May 19 because of recent increases. Saskatchewan has added 102 cases in the last seven days.
On May 19, a slate of businesses ranging from bookstores to hair salons will be allowed to reopen with measures to ensure physical distancing and, in some cases, the required use of personal protective equipment.
Earlier on Monday, Meili called for better communication on COVID-19 outbreaks in the province during his daily news conference and questioned the dearth of appearances by Health Minister Jim Reiter.
“What’s going on in communications within this government?” Meili asked.
Reiter responded with a news conference of his own on Monday to clarify the delay in making the Lloydminster Hospital outbreak public.
The SHA said on Friday that the ministry of health was informed of the outbreak on the evening of April 27.
Reiter said he was not informed until 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday (April 28) and informed Moe on Wednesday morning.
The outbreak was announced Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m just not prepared to throw ministry officials under the bus on this,” Reiter told reporters.
“The buck stops with the minister. The entire organization is under my responsibility.”