Coronavirus: 27 new cases in Saskatchewan, northwest region moves into Phase 4.2

The Saskatchewan government gave an update on new coronavirus cases in the province on Friday, with health officials saying there were 27 new cases.

The overall case total for the province has grown to 1,099 since the first case was reported in March.

Twenty-four of the new cases are located in the south region with the rest in the central, north and Regina regions, according to a press release.

The government said 21 of Thursday’s cases are from Hutterite colonies in the southwest and west-central regions.  There are currently 21 of these colonies with active cases.

“The recent surge in COVID-19 in all regions of Saskatchewan shows that we cannot become complacent. There is no region in Saskatchewan without active cases,” read a statement from the Ministry of Health.

“For the health and safety of your community, act as if there is a risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 anytime you go in public or meet with friends… If we all do our part to keep ourselves and others safe, we will be able to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan again.”

The government also announced on Friday that, effective immediately, northwest region businesses, services and events can proceed as permitted under current phase of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Phase 4.2 began on June 29 and has evolved over numerous additions to involve guidelines for indoor rinks, pools, bingo halls and garage sales, which were restricted until now in the northwest Saskatchewan region due to cases of COVID-19.

Provincially, 14 people are currently in hospital — 10 are receiving inpatient care and four are in intensive care.

Ten more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 848.

There are currently 235 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

There have been 16 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.

To date, nearly 87,990 tests have been carried out in the province. Health officials said an all-time high of 1,604 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan reported its highest total number of new coronavirus cases in a single day — 60 — while passing the 1,000-case mark.

4:38 Experts say COVID-19 myths cause for concern

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. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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