There is now a second presumptive case of the novel coronavirus in Saskatoon. A man in his 60s came back from Oregon and started to feel ill. Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab says he was tested on Tuesday and has been well enough to self-isolate at home. Shahab has ordered some prevention measures which begin on Monday.
They include no public gathering of over 250 people in any one room. That doesn’t include settings where people are distributed in multiple rooms, such as schools, universities or workplaces. Retailers and churches are also exempt, but are being asked to take measures, such as crowd size monitoring to support safe social distancing.
Effective immediately, anyone who has travelled outside Saskatchewan in the last 14 days, or who has acute respiratory or flu-like symptoms should avoid visiting long term care homes and hospitals.
Healthline 811 has experienced so many calls that there are long waits, so to deal with that, the capacity has been more than doubled as of Friday morning. Premier Scott Moe says of the billion dollars the federal government has announced, half goes to the provinces to help with COVID-19. The money is being distributed to provinces on a per capita basis, which means Saskatchewan will receive $15.6-million.
The provincial budget which will be tabled on Wednesday, will proceed but without the usual invited guests. MLAs, media and a limited number of staff will be at the Legislature. All tours and public events at the Legislative Building are suspended, as is general public access to the building.
The provincial government says according to current research, 80 per cent of those who contract COVID-19 will experience only mild symptoms and will be able to self-isolate and recover at home. Monitoring for symptoms and staying home when you are sick is important to prevent transmission.
Click on these links for more detailed information from the province.
Self-Isolation SheetSelf-Monitoring SheetSHA-Backgrounder-811
