The Saskatchewan government says the number of active coronavirus cases in the province has risen to 307, marking a new high.
Health officials said in Monday’s update there were 31 new cases, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,209 since the first case was reported in March.
Ten of the new cases are located in the central region, nine in the south, eight in Saskatoon and three in the north, according to a press release. Officials said the location of one case is still pending.
Government officials said investigations completed thus far have found 22 of Monday’s new cases are from Hutterite colonies in the south, central, Saskatoon and north regions.
“We should not stigmatize the numbers that are being presented day by day. Those numbers are the result of people doing the right thing. People putting themselves forward to be tested. And for that, I say ‘thank you.’ That is how we will be able to take those numbers and turn them in a much different direction,” Premier Scott Moe said.
“That being said … this outbreak is quite severe. We have across this province a little over 6,000 Hutterites … they’re our friends and neighbours and they’re my friends and neighbours where I live. But this is a severe outbreak.”
Moe said public health officials will be visiting every Hutterite community in the province to disseminate information, provide testing if required and to support the communities.
“We will be ensuring that the public health order limiting gathering sizes to 30 people is being followed in all instances. And we will also be ensuring that any affected communities are restricting non-essential travel into and out of the community,” Moe said.
“To be clear, we have been receiving strong cooperation with many of the communities already, but halting the chain of transmission requires a 100-per-cent compliance across the province. So are we are working together to ensure that that is the case.
“One thing I think we should all understand is there are many, many colonies that don’t have any active cases… and so in no way, shape or form should we stigmatize or assume the unknown when it comes to our daily interactions. And I would ask all Saskatchewan residents to treat one another, whether you’re from a Hutterite colony or not, with exactly the same respect that you expect to be to be treated with in return.”
Month-over-month, active cases have increased 198.1 per cent. There were 103 active cases on June 27.
Fourteen people are currently in hospital; 10 are receiving inpatient care and four are in intensive care.
Thirteen more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 886.
There have been 16 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.
To date, over 92,795 tests have been carried out in the province.
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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