As families begin to gather for the holidays, there will be an increased risk of spreading COVID-19 and other viruses. Mask usage in Saskatchewan is on the decline heading into the holidays.
We’re now nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic. But with mask mandates gone, fewer and fewer people are seen wearing a mask in public in Saskatchewan.
According to a new study from the Angus Reid Institute, 31 per cent of people say they are wearing a mask in public.
In Saskatchewan however, it’s a different story, 59 per cent of those polled in the study said they were most likely to never wear a mask in public. That’s the highest rate of mask avoidance in the country.
“I think in some ways the mandates that we had to have early on in the pandemic have given a false understanding of people around mask wearing that, ‘I am not going to wear them unless I’m told to,’” said Dr. Cory Neudorf.
Dr. Neudorf said one of the main reasons is COVID-19 fatigue.
“People are tired of it. I think everyone’s tired of it, certainly, and that does play a role in terms of people just not wanting to talk about it or in some cases pretending it’s not there.”
The study supports his theory, as nearly 50 per cent of Canadians polled say they no longer think about COVID-19 at all.
In Saskatchewan, that number jumps up to 61 per cent. According to the latest COVID-19 report from the government of Saskatchewan, which covers the period Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, cases are on the decline.
The numbers are still high, however, with 396 confirmed cases.
And while COVID-19 hospitalizations are also on the decline, it’s important to note that 41 people were reported to have died from the virus during that period.