REGINA -- Saskatchewan is close to meeting the second vaccination target in its Reopening Roadmap.
As of Saturday, 69 per cent of Saskatchewan residents 30 years and older have received their first dose – one per cent shy of the 70 per cent threshold for Step Two of the reopening plan.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe tweeted out a message for the province on Saturday, encouraging anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to do so.
“If you know someone 30+ who hasn’t gotten vaccinated yet, please share this post and ask them to go get their shot," Moe said in the tweet.
"Let them know the best thing we all can do to protect ourselves and the people around us, to get everything reopened and back to normal in SK & to #StickItToCovid."
If you know someone 30+ who hasn’t gotten vaccinated yet, please share this post and ask them to go get their shot. Let them know the best thing we all can do to protect ourselves and the people around us, to get everything reopened and back to normal in SK & to #StickItToCovid
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) May 22, 2021
Saskatchewan’s Reopening Roadmap includes three steps that are activated once vaccine targets for certain age groups are met.
STEP ONE
The province met its first reopening target on May 9, meaning the first step of the plan will begin on May 30.
Step One will see gathering restrictions loosened, allowing a maximum of 10 people at private indoor or outdoor gatherings, 30 people for public indoor gatherings and 150 people for public outdoor gatherings.
This step includes the reopening of restaurants and bars with a maximum of six people to a table.
Current restrictions will remain in place for conference and banquet halls, casinos, bingo halls, movie theatres, art galleries and libraries.
The current province-wide mask mandate will also remain in place.
STEP TWO
Step Two will begin three weeks after the province meets its goal for those 30-years and older, lifting gathering restrictions further to allow 15 people at private indoor gatherings.
Capacity thresholds in retail spaces will be lifted. Restaurants and bars will not have a maximum capacity for tables.
Restrictions will ease for conference and banquet halls, casinos, bingo halls, movie theatres, art galleries and libraries.
The current province-wide mask mandate will remain in place.
The province estimates this step could begin in the third week of June.
STEP THREE
Step Three will begin after 70 per cent of people over 18 have received their first dose. Most remaining restrictions will be lifted in Step Three.
As of Saturday, 62 per cent of residents 18 years and older have received their first shot.
“Guidance on gathering sizes and indoor masking will be developed based on the progress of the first two steps,” the province’s plan reads.
The province estimates this step could begin in the second week of July.
Saskatchewan has administered 645,384 total COVID-19 vaccine doses, including 589,523 first doses and 55,861 second doses.
Drive-thru and walk in vaccine clinics are open in several communities for the long weekend.