Sask. government resists health officials' calls to reinstate some COVID-19 protocols
Medical health officers (MHOs) issued a series of recommendations to the Government of Saskatchewan on how best to address rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Those recommendations went largely unmentioned by the premier and health officials during the province’s first live COVID-19 update in nearly two months.
As Saskatchewan reported its highest seven-day average of daily new cases since May 3 on Monday, with 19 per 100,000 people, senior medical health officer Dr. Cory Neudorf issued recommendations to the province on behalf of the Saskatchewan MHOs.
The experts urged the province to reinstate mandatory masking in indoor public spaces, mandatory isolation of cases and close contacts, require proof of vaccination for provincial and municipal government employees and entry to nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and other recreational venues.
During Monday’s virtual news conference, Premier Scott Moe echoed statements made by Health Minister Paul Merriman last week, who said the government will neither reinstate COVID-19 restrictions nor will it enforce vaccine requirements as the province battles the pandemic’s fourth wave.
Officials announced Monday they will roll out a proof of COVID-19 vaccination document and begin delivering booster shots on Sept. 7.
It will remain up to individual businesses and venues to mandate proof of vaccination.
Frontline health care workers will also be asked to provide proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing. The details of the plan are still under development, the province said.
Moe continued to push back against the idea of implementing the virus-related protocols recommended by the MHOs, saying policy proposals need to be “operable”.
“It's not implementing the heavy hand of government on citizens if you will, nor do I think that is the appropriate fashion for government to act,” Moe said.
“This is a much more collaborative approach and we feel it will have every success as the implemented approach.”
The province’s chief medical health officer said he hopes that responsible decisions are being made on the individual level to slow the spread of the virus.
“Going forward [individuals] have to adjust when we see trends, right now we are seeing a surge mostly in the far north and Saskatoon so obviously there may be a more consistent increase in mask use in crowded spaces,” Shahab theorized.
“We hope vaccine uptake increases and we know people for the most part are adjusting how they behave.”
Shahab said he is confident that individuals are adjusting their habits based on increasing case numbers, like reintroducing mask use and limiting social gatherings.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.