The number of coronavirus cases in Saskatchewan held steady at 646 after no new cases were reported in the province on Tuesday.
Government officials also said travel restrictions that have been in place for northwest Saskatchewan will be lifted on June 8.
Phases 1 and 2 of the province’s reopening plan will also go ahead on June 8 in La Loche.
“This is good news, but everyone in that part of the province must, like the rest of us, remain vigilant and continue to follow all of the physical distancing measures that have worked so well over the past few weeks,” said Premier Scott Moe.
Those phases were put on pause in La Loche after a coronavirus outbreak was declared in the northern community on April 17.
At its peak, there were 156 active cases in the far north on May 10. Four deaths in the region are attributed to COVID-19.
The province also restricted travel in and out of the northern administration district on April 24. Restrictions to the northeast and north-central regions were lifted on May 19.
Phase 3 of the reopening plan, which goes into effect on June 8, will be delayed until further notice for all of the northwest region, however, outdoor gatherings can increase to 20 people that day. Indoor gatherings remain limited to 10 people in the region.
Moe also said the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) will release details on Wednesday on how it will safely ease visitor restrictions at long-term care homes.
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“We understand how lonely and heartbreaking it must be for seniors who have been isolated from their family and their friends for a number of weeks now,” Moe said.
“Thankfully, Saskatchewan has suffered the devastating number of outbreaks that we have seen in all too many seniors’ homes in other provinces in Canada. So these measures are working.”
Visits to those facilities were restricted early in the pandemic except for compassionate reasons.
The SHA and the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority declared an end to the coronavirus outbreak in the northern village of Beauval on Tuesday.
The outbreak was declared on May 1 after a number of new cases were identified in the area. SHA officials said, as of Tuesday, there were no active cases in Beauval and no evidence of community transmission.
Health officials reported 14 new recoveries in the province on Tuesday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 602.
Thirty-three cases remain active — 23 in the far north, four in Regina, three in Saskatoon, two in the north and one in the south region.
Moe said it is the lowest number of active cases in the province since March 20.
There have been 11 deaths in Saskatchewan due to COVID-19.
Two people are in hospital — both in intensive care in Saskatoon.
Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:
- 95 people are 19 and under
- 230 people are 20 to 39
- 197 are 40 to 59
- 106 people are 60 to 79
- 18 people are 80 and over
Males make up 48 per cent of the cases, females 52 per cent.
Officials said 384 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 142 are travel-related, 77 have no known exposure and 43 are under investigation by public health.
Saskatchewan has completed 48,593 tests so far for the virus, up 321 from Monday.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
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