Coronavirus: Visitor limitations at Manitou Lodge in Watrous, Sask.

An increase in novel coronavirus cases in Watrous has led to the Saskatchewan He​alth Authority (SHA) alerting the public on Monday.

The central east zone, where the town is located, has 75 of the province’s current 1,652 active COVID-19 cases, according to the provincial government. The health authority did not say how many cases are in Watrous.

In order to keep ev​eryone in SHA facilities and care homes safe during this time, the health authority said visitation is being limited to compassionate reasons only at ​Manit​ou Lodge.

“The decision to restrict family presen​​ce is not taken lightly. These measures are in place to keep you, your loved ones, and health-care workers safe,” read a SHA statement.

​“Compassionate care reasons ma​y include, but are not limited to, family or support persons during end-of-life care, major surgery, intensive care/critical care, maternal/pediatrics, long-term care residents whose quality of life or care needs are unmet or those inpatients and outpatients with specific challenges.”

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The limitations will remain until it is safe to return to the previous level of family presence, SHA said.

Watrous is approximately 100 km southeast of Saskatoon.

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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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