With freezing temperatures across much of the province on Family Day, and restrictions amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, many families opted to celebrate inside — but some braved the elements.
At Optimist Hill, 12-year-old Braeden Haase and his family decided to hit the ski hill for some snowboarding, even in temperatures that dipped to nearly -30C.
“We wanted to do something special, because typically for the years past we’ve gone away somewhere warm,” said Haase’s mother, Heather.
“Obvious this year we didn’t get a chance to do that so now we’re just trying to enjoy Saskatchewan and what it has to offer.”
For Kiley Jorgensen, 12, she said she’d happy to spend the day taking snowboarding lessons with her mom.
She said it’s important to “have fun, be safe” this Family Day.
Across the city, father and son pair Jordan and Bill Kapphahn prove families of any age can celebrate together.
Joran, 32, and his father skate together regularly, but with the recent cold snap and polar vortex hitting the Prairies, they haven’t been out much.
“We’ve been cooped up for two weeks in the cold so this is a day to celebrate winter shines and at the same time go out and skate,” said Bill.
For Jaimie Peters, today was about coming together as a family after nearly a year apart.
“We decided to go bowling and so we went for an hour with the whole family,” she said.
“We all had our own bowling lanes, and we had our own tables for meals so it felt comfortable and safe,” she explained.
She said it’s the first time in about nine months they’ve been able to get together.
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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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