Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced today that the current public health measures have been extended to April 5.
Starting this Friday (Mar. 19) places of worship will increase capacity to 30 percent or 150 people, whichever is lower, except for Regina and surrounding area.
Churches in Regina and area will remain at the 30-person limit until April 5. This decision also affects the following communities: Belle Plaine, Pense, Grand Coulee, Lumsden Beach, Regina Beach, Craven, Lumsden, Edenwold, Pilot Butte, White City, Balgonie, Kronau, Davin, Gray and Riceton.
It comes as the Regina region is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, especially variants.
In today’s COVID-19 update, the province noted 66 new confirmed cases of variants of concern, including 61 in Regina, 2 in the South East and one each in the South Central, Central East, and Saskatoon regions.
“The Regina zone accounts for 122 (or 90 per cent) of the confirmed VOC cases reported in Saskatchewan.” the province said in the news release. The provincial total for variants of concern is 136, including 130 cases of B 1.1.1.7 (U.K. variant) and six cases if B 1.351 (South Africa variant).
It’s been recommended by the province to people in Regina and area, in particular those 50-and-older, to not increase their household bubble up to 10 people.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab continued to emphasize mask use, physical distancing, frequent hand washing, reducing activities outside the home and working from home as measures to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and its variants.
“Obviously, if cases keep escalating, the health system starts coming under pressure then further restrictions could be considered, but I do think we need to give these measures a week and see how it goes,” Shahab said.
There have been calls for a lockdown for Regina, but Dr. Shahab said that would be only a last resort.
“But it comes at a significant cost,” Shahab added. “It has to continue for 4-weeks or more and it has its own unintended consequences.”