Moe must address public on COVID crisis
It's time for another provincewide televised address from Premier Scott Moe on the COVID-19 pandemic ... if for no other reason than to remind Moe, himself, that we are all still in a pandemic and that it is the good people of Saskatchewan to whom he should be speaking.
Of late, the Saskatchewan premier seems far, far more interested in talking to like-minded politicians and lobby groups from elsewhere.
On the last day in which he publicly addressed the province in an afternoon provincewide COVID-19 press conference, Moe appeared preoccupied by his Zoom meeting earlier that day with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) in which he bizarrely hinted large industrial employees could be prioritized for vaccinations. This confusing tidbit, the Saskatchewan premier later explained, was just blue-skying.
As it turned out, it wasn't the only policy or comment Moe's government walked back.
Contrary to its notion that vaccinating at drive-thru clinics based on age was the best and only way, Moe's government agreed to prioritize front-line workers like police, firefighters and pharmacists (plus those who work with pharmacists in places like grocery stories or box stores) with available shots.
However, it wasn't Moe delivering this policy change. It was Health Minister Paul Merriman and Saskatchewan chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab trying to explain this Tuesday along with added provincewide restrictions on household bubbles and limits on church services. Shahab even strongly suggested all Saskatchewan people simply stay home ... although that's not really a rule.
Confused? You're not alone. By not being unequivocal and definitive, Moe has allowed Saskatchewan to become a crazy quilt patchwork of COVID-19 rules, restrictions and suggestions people can't seem to follow.
Evidently, it's still up to all 1,172,302 of us, individually, to figure out the best way we can fight COVID-19. Hopefully, Moe won't encourage the Saskatchewan Highway Traffic Board to adopt the same approach.
And what of Moe? He's remained seemingly focused on NON-COVID matters.
Tuesday, Moe was on another Zoom call addressing the U.S. Republican subcommittee that was flogging the dead Keystone XL pipeline horse.
Wednesday, Moe joined other conservative premiers to discuss small modular reactors. Yes, alternatives to burning fossil fuels to produce electricity is important, but are reactors we won't see until 2032 more pressing right now than rapidly spreading COVID-19 variants?
To his credit, Moe has not shied away from COVID-19 questions when he has been tracked down by reporters — something easier to do since the legislature resumed April 6. But he has sure sent signals he's more eager to talk about anything other than COVID-19, which has accounted for 2,207 new cases and 15 deaths since his last press conference on the matter.
We need the Saskatchewan premier to be on the same channel as the rest of us. For that reason, we need Moe to do what he did a year ago — a provincewide televised evening address offering clear, concise guidance to deal with this rapidly spreading third wave. We really need this right now because we badly need a little hope.
That clarity and direction is required is self-evident.
Hearing Shahab suggest we should stay home isn't enough. From Moe's lips, we need to hear: “Stay home and only travel when necessary; limit your bubbles to your household” and — most critically — “stick it to COVID” by getting vaccinated ASAP.
Moe also needs to explain policy — why first responders and front-liners have moved up in the vaccine queue and why new restrictions are being imposed.
He needs to thank the very doctors whose advice he's often ignored for saving lives. Because of what health-care workers do, they've made the government's COVID-19 strategy look a lot better than it has actually been.
He also needs to again thank those who've found ways to work from home and those who've braved coming to work.
Mostly, though, Moe needs to show leadership. He needs to show us he recognizes COVID-19 is still the most important part of his job.