Saskatchewan government, opposition, health professionals issue guidance for holiday gatherings

As the second pandemic Thanksgiving nears, the government of Saskatchewan is letting residents know what it thinks is needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In its weekly COVID-19 update, the province noted that “household gatherings remain the primary source of transmission of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.”

It recommends meeting outdoors “as much as possible”, only gathering if double vaccinated, asking for vaccination status when inviting people to indoor gatherings.

The province added a reminder that people should “follow the masking and/or proof of vaccination or test requirement of that location”, as they are legally obligated to, if gathering in a place affected by the current public health order.

The provincial opposition, meanwhile, thinks precautions should be taken a step further.

“If you’re celebrating this year, try to keep it to a small group — to your immediate family,” Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili said in a Tuesday press conference.

In a supplementary press release, the opposition called for “a return to indoor gathering limits for both public and private events until cases and hospitalizations stabilize.”

But in a supplied response, a government spokesperson said “the Government of Saskatchewan will not be making an order to limit gathering sizes.”

The statement added, “the vast majority of new cases and hospitalizations are unvaccinated residents and those who are not vaccinated should get vaccinated.”

1:57 What drives people in Saskatchewan to remain unvaccinated?

According to the latest government data, of 13,141 new COVID-19 cases detected in September, 71 per cent of patients were unvaccinated or less than three weeks had surpassed since they’d received their first dose.

6.9 per cent of patients had one dose.  22.1 had been double vaccinated for at least three weeks.

449 people were newly hospitalized in September. 73.1 per cent of those were unvaccinated or had their first shot less than three weeks before arriving in hospital.

SHA Saskatoon Region Medical Health Officer Dr. Jasmine Hasselback, meanwhile, shared her advice with Global News Tuesday morning.

“Keep your groups small. That is going to be critical,” she said.

“Have the conversation about who’s vaccinated. We want everyone at your gatherings, who is eligible, to be vaccinated.”