COVID-19: Step Two of Sask. re-opening begins June 20 after 70% of those 30 and older vaccinated

More than 70 per cent of those aged 30 and older in Saskatchewan have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, meaning the province is on track to roll out Step Two of its three-step re-open roadmap.

Step Two begins June 20, three weeks after Step One – May 30.

“The reason we are able to do this, to lift these restrictions, is because Saskatchewan people are getting vaccinated,” said Scott Moe, Saskatchewan premier.

“And the vaccines are working. Vaccines are driving down case numbers and hospitalizations and making Saskatchewan safer.”

Public health measures that will be eased in Step Two are as follows:

• No capacity thresholds on retail and personal care services, must maintain an occupancy that allows for physical distancing;
• Restaurants and bars will have no table capacity thresholds, must maintain two metres of physical distancing or structural barriers between tables, dance floors and buffets remain closed;
• 150 person maximum capacity at event facilities, casinos, bingo halls, theatres, art galleries, libraries and recreational facilities, must maintain an occupancy that allows for physical distancing, restaurant guidelines apply at venues that serve food;
• Long-term care and personal care home residents may have up to four visitors indoors and nine visitors outdoors;
• No change from Step One at gyms and fitness facilities, primary, secondary and post-secondary education and childcare;
• All remaining restrictions on youth and adult sports will be lifted;
• Limit of 15 people at private indoor gatherings, including household gatherings;
• Limit of 150 people at public indoor gatherings and private and public outdoor gatherings; and
• Current province-wide masking mandate remains in place.

With everyone 12 years old and older eligible to receive their first dose of the vaccine, Moe is encouraging more people to get vaccinated.

“When we get to 70 per cent of our entire adult population vaccinated, we can move to Step Three and remove almost all of the remaining public health orders,” Moe said.  “So let’s keep going.

“Please keep doing everything you are doing to protect yourself and those around you.  Keep following the public health orders.

“And keep sticking it to COVID. When it’s your turn, get your first shot, get your second shot, and let’s get things reopened and have a great Saskatchewan summer.”

The province reported in its daily update Monday that an additional 6,466 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. It brings the total amount of administered vaccines to 662,854.

Seventy-six per cent of those aged 40 and older in the province have been vaccinated while 63 per cent of those aged 18 and older have received a vaccine.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority reported that as of Monday, anyone 80 and over can book a second dose, along with cancer and organ transplant patients and those who were vaccinated on or before March 1.

For all other Saskatchewan residents, the second dose eligibility will be based on age or date of the first dose. Those who meet at least one of these criteria will be eligible for their second dose.

Eligibility dates for the second dose are as follows:

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Saskatchewan reported 103 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, which brings the total number of provincial infections to 45,709 cases, of which 10,148 are variants of concern.

Of the new COVID-19 cases, three are in the far northwest, three are in the far northeast, 18 are in the northwest, three are in the north central, 34 are in Saskatoon, one is in the central-west, 10 are in the central-east, 14 are in Regina, one is in the southwest, four are in the south-central and eight are in the southeast.

The province says three new cases are pending residence information.

There have been 43,645 recoveries from the virus and 1,537 cases are considered active.

1:44 Optimism high ahead of last long weekend before re-opening

The province says 133 people remain in hospital, with 105 people receiving inpatient care and 28 people in intensive care. Thirteen people in the ICU are in Regina and 10 are in Saskatoon.

The seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan is 142 — 11.6 new cases per 100,000.

The province says 2,386 COVID-19 tests were processed on Sunday, bringing the total number of administered tests to 845,350.