REGINA — Opposition leader Ryan Meili renewed calls on the provincial government to bring back gathering limits for Thanksgiving weekend today,
In an appearance to the media on Tuesday, the Sask. NDP leader asked government officials to instate further public health restrictions before the weekend, to help curb potential COVID-19 transmission as a result of the holiday.
Meili said that following trends seen last year, medical professionals are anticipating a spike in COVID cases after Sask. residents celebrate the coming holiday with loved ones.
He also referenced comments made by chief medical health officer Dr. Saqiq Shahab, during a press conference last week, predicting that Saskatchewan is facing a “fall and winter of misery” on its current trajectory.
Opposition critics are asking for the reinstatement of indoor gathering limitations or household bubbles, as a preventative measure.
“We all want to celebrate with our families. We all want to have that time together. None of us want that celebration to be the last time we see a family member because they got sick," said Meili.
Premier Scott Moe and Health Minister Paul Merriman have both previously said that lockdown measures as a circuit-breaker are only a short-term strategy that the province is not currently considering implementing.
Following Meili’s declaration in the early afternoon on Tuesday, public health released a list of recommendations to residents for celebrating safely this weekend, but no official public health order.
Families are being urged to host activities outside wherever possible, and unvaccinated individuals are being encouraged to avoid gatherings altogether, especially those with children under 12.
Meili and the NDP said that while placing responsibility on Sask. residents to choose safe options is fine, the lack of oversight from the province is a problem.
“Leadership means making the difficult choices, making decisions in the best interests of the people we were elected to serve, not just politically expedient ones,” said Meili.
The opposition is not the first to call for a return to more strict gathering policies as the fourth wave continues. Both the Saskatchewan Medical Association and the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses have also recently expressed requests for more restrictions.
The NDP are also calling on the province to return to regular COVID-19 briefings and to release pandemic modelling data to the public and physicians.
