The dramatic rise in new and active cases of COVID-19 in Saskatoon has led the Saskatchewan Health Authority to increase family presence restrictions and move from Recovery Phase to Phase 1 for all long-term care homes in Saskatoon as of 8 a.m. on Thursday.

Level 1 family presence means each resident can designate two essential family or support persons, but only one person can be present indoors at a time. There is no outdoor limit on visitors while more than two essential family or support persons can be designated for end-of-life or palliative care with only two people allowed to be present at the same time. The S-H-A will review this Saskatoon situation weekly and safety indicators will be monitored closely with the goal of returning to Recovery Phase family presence as soon as it is safe to do so.