Updated as of 5:05 p.m., Monday, April 13
The Government of Saskatchewan reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, along with 14 more recoveries.
The two presumptive cases reported on Sunday have since been confirmed.
The province now has a total of 300 cases; however, this number includes recoveries and deaths. Only 118 of those cases are still considered active.
There are eight people in hospital in the province, none of which are receiving intensive care.
Prince Albert’s region, the north, has 56 cases. Fifteen of those are considered active and one is hospitalized.
To date, 19,804 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.
‘Reopen Saskatchewan’ plan to release next week if COVID-19 numbers remain steady
Premier Scott Moe said the province will be releasing a plan to ‘reopen Saskatchewan’ next week if the positive COVID-19 trend continues.
“None of this is a reason for complacency, but it is a reason for cautious optimism,” said Moe. “This is no magic switch that we can flip that sends everything back to normal overnight.”
“When we do begin to lift restrictions and reopen businesses and begin public venues, it will be done cautiously, it will be done methodically and gradually.”
Once businesses reopen, he said, they’ll still be expected to maintain strict sanitation and physical distancing.
Moe said it’s important to ramp up testing and contact tracing to break chains of transmission.
That’s why the province is providing machines that give test results within four hours, meaning a swab doesn’t have to be sent to the Roy Romanow Provincial Lab in Regina. One is up and running in Meadow Lake, said Moe, and another will be in place in Prince Albert on Tuesday.
