Saskatchewan’s Premier says the vaccine mandate created two classes of citizens in the province and at this point, with the Omicron strain, the benefits no longer outweigh the costs.

Scott Moe says while it caused deep divisions in the province it did significantly reduce COVID transmission during the Delta wave and increased vaccination rates in the province.

He continues to say the vaccine doesn’t prevent the transmissibility of COVID but reduces its impact.

“It’s also time for the proof of vaccination mandate to end.  So effective midnight Sunday February 13th all proof of vaccination requirements will end. In Saskatchewan businesses and venues and provincially regulated workplaces this means that the proof of vaccination or negative test option that we provided will no longer be a provincial requirement.”

Indoor masking will remain in effect until the end of February. Moe says the vaccine mandate has run its course and it is time to get life back to normal. He suggests Saskatchewan is poised to lead the country through Covid and lead the world in terms of economic recovery. The premier urges residents to conduct their own risk assessment and to not judge, but accept their neighbours’ decision around vaccination and masking.

The province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab announced that Covid-19 booster doses was opening up for 12 to 17 year olds in the province so all Saskatchewan residents in that age group are now able to receive a booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine effective immediately.

Health officials also say the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is more transmissible and has a shorter incubation period with many cases remaining asymptomatic and the evidence indicates there is greatly enhanced protection against severe illness and hospitalization with a booster dose of vaccine.