REGINA — As Saskatchewan approaches the end to public health measures this weekend, the province will no longer be providing biweekly COVID-19 updates from officials moving forward.
Premier Scott Moe made the statement on July 7, during the final livestreamed COVID-19 update with chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.
Necessary updates will be provided by Moe, Shahab or the Saskatchewan Health Authority as needed, said Moe, as the province moves from pandemic into endemic mode.
“Of course, if something changes in our situation, we will most certainly keep Saskatchewan residents up to date,” said Moe.
All public health orders and the provincial state of emergency order are set to be removed entirely on July 11, after which the province will be returning to what many are calling “normal.”
“After 485 days of public health restrictions in place, of the government telling you how to live your life, those restrictions will end,” said Moe.
Despite the end to pandemic measures, both Moe and Shahab encouraged residents to continue keeping COVID in mind moving forward.
“Although the restrictions are coming to an end, COVID is not,” said Moe.
The province will continue to report new COVID-19 cases, with updated information available on it's virtual dashboard, as well as offer testing and contact tracing for new cases.
Vaccination clinics will also continue, confirmed Shahab, and people are welcome to keep wearing masks and practicing safety precautions in public at their own discretion.
He also reminded people to respect individual and location decisions to continue enforcing masking measures.
“I think we need to respect each setting, in terms of what they’ve determined is a safe setting for them, customers and staff,” said Shahab.
Shahab also advised residents to continue exercising caution regarding transmission moving forward — including seeking testing if feeling unwell, continuing to get vaccinated, and limiting maskless contact with individuals who have exhibited symptoms.
Both officials issued a warning to residents that they should expect to continue seeing COVID-19 cases in the province, despite the change in emergency precautions.
