A joint statement has been issued by Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation, Casey Ward, President of the Regina Police Association and the Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers, and Dean Pringle, President of Saskatoon Police Association and Vice President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers, strongly asking that all police officers in Saskatchewan be considered for priority access to COVID-19 vaccinations due to their role as emergency first responders and essential workers.

So far, about 400 Regina and Saskatoon police officers and 450 RCMP Members in Saskatchewan have been forced into self-isolation, sometimes more than once, due to close contact with an infected person. Roughly 80 officers have tested positive for COVID-19.

Without priority access to the vaccine, they say their officers will continue to be exposed and infected by the virus, requiring them to quarantine and isolate. This reduces staffing levels and the ability to sustain community safety and well-being, including preventing community transmission of COVID-19.