Sask. Premier Scott Moe tests positive for COVID-19, said he didn't know he had been infected
Premier Scott Moe said he had no idea he might have had COVID-19 as he met with reporters on Wednesday.
He took a routinely scheduled rapid test Thursday morning and it showed positive.
The premier tweeted “I’m feeling fine and will be self isolating and working from home for the next five days.”
Moe removed his mask at the news conference, which is permissible for television purposes. A sign language interpreter stood a few feet away and also removed her mask. The province’s chief medical health officer kept his mask on as did everyone else present.
Earlier this week, the premier attended a school function in La Loche. He tested negative before embarking on the trip north.
Moe is triple vaccinated and is the second premier to test positive in the past two weeks. New Brunswick’s Blaine Higgs has also had to self isolate.
Jason Kindrachuk, a researcher into emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said no one can let their guard down.
“Yeah listen, we’re in different time’s right? I think the major message is that right now Omicron is moving through our populations exceedingly quickly. People that are vaccinated still have to take precautions. We need to be very considerate that vaccines are a part of the equation but they’re not the 100% fail safe of the equation. We still have to rely on distancing. We still have to rely on types of masks that we are using and ultimately we still have to rely on how we’re feeling,” he said.
None of the students at the La Loche School are considered close contacts.
Those who travelled or met with the premier have been advised to self monitor.
No one else has tested positive.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police inaction allowed Texas massacre to continue with catastrophic consequences: experts
The decision by police to wait before confronting the gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde was a failure with catastrophic consequences, experts say. When it was all over 19 students and two teachers were dead.

Indigenous B.C. filmmaker says he was refused entry on Cannes red carpet for his moccasins
A Dene filmmaker based in Vancouver says he was "disappointed" and "close to tears" when security at the Cannes Film Festival blocked him from walking the red carpet while dressed in a pair of moccasins.
Putin warns against continued arming of Ukraine; Kremlin claims another city captured
As Russia asserted progress in its goal of seizing the entirety of contested eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin tried Saturday to shake European resolve to punish his country with sanctions and to keep supplying weapons that have supported Ukraine's defence.
Police inaction moves to centre of Uvalde shooting probe
The actions — or more notably, the inaction — of a school district police chief and other law enforcement officers have become the centre of the investigation into this week's shocking school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
'What happened to Chelsea?' Vancouver march demands answers in Indigenous woman's death
Around a hundred people gathered at noon Saturday at the empty Vancouver home where Chelsea Poorman’s remains were found late last month to show their support for her family's call for answers and justice.
Canada to play for gold at men's hockey worlds after victory over Czechia
Canada and Finland won semifinal games Saturday to set up a third straight gold-medal showdown between the teams at the IIHF world hockey championship.
Tear gas fired at Liverpool fans in Champions League final policing chaos
Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray at Liverpool supporters forced to endure lengthy waits to get into the Champions League final amid logistical chaos and an attempt by UEFA and French authorities to blame overcrowding at turnstiles on people trying to access the stadium with fake tickets on Saturday.
48K without power one week after deadly storm swept through Ontario, Quebec
One week after a severe wind and thunderstorm swept through Ontario and Quebec, just over 48,000 homes in the two provinces were still without power on Saturday.
Explainer: Where do hydro poles come from?
The devastating storm in southern Ontario and Quebec last weekend damaged thousands of hydro poles across the two provinces. CTVNews.ca gives a rundown of where utility companies get their hydro poles from, as well as the climate challenges in the grid infrastructure.