Premier Scott Moe. (Britton Gray/980 CJME file photo)

By CJME News

Moe gov’t says it hasn’t ruled out more public health measures

Jan 7, 2022 | 3:10 PM

The Saskatchewan government has reiterated it hasn’t dismissed the idea of new public health measures as case numbers of the COVID-19 Omicron variant rise in the province.

In a statement Friday, Premier Scott Moe’s office said the government wasn’t going to put in place any new public health measures regarding gathering sizes at the moment, “but as the Premier has stated, he is not ruling out new measures in the coming days if required.”

On Thursday, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, told reporters he was recommending that people don’t gather indoors with anyone from outside of their household in the coming weeks.

The goal is to help limit the spread of Omicron, which is proving to be more transmissible than any of the other variants detected so far. Shahab said Thursday that more than 95 per cent of the new cases in Saskatchewan are Omicron.

His recommendation came on the same day the province recorded its highest-ever single-day total of new cases, with 913. Active cases also climbed to a record high of 5,235.

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The government’s statement Friday backed Shahab’s stance.

“Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Shahab has made many recommendations on things people can do to protect themselves and reduce the spread of COVID,” the statement read.

“While some of these recommendations resulted in public health orders, most were provided as guidance to Saskatchewan residents. Dr. Shahab’s comments (Thursday) about gatherings is another example of that guidance.”

The province’s current public health measures include requirements for people to wear masks in all indoor public places and to show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test to gain access to certain businesses and event venues.

Other provinces have enacted stiffer public health measures since the arrival of Omicron, including gathering limits for public and private events, the elimination of indoor dining at restaurants and bars, and delaying the start of in-person learning at schools.