There are two new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, bringing the provincial total to 639. One new case is from the North region and one is in the Saskatoon region.
61 of the 639 confirmed cases are considered active, while there have been 9 more recoveries from the virus for a total of 568 recoveries.
Four people are in the hospital around the province, including three in intensive care in Saskatoon.
Premier Scott Moe mentioned this is the 18th day in a row that the number of recoveries has exceeded the number of new cases.
While the premier admitted on Thursday that it’s good news the number of active cases continues to decrease during phase two of the Reopen Saskatchewan Plan, he said there are reminders that the risk has not gone away following this week’s three deaths from COVID-19 and the community transmitted outbreak in Saskatoon.
“Even if we’re having a barbecue or a family dinner that’s under the 10 person limit, we still need to be so very careful,” urged Premier Moe.
“Don’t be touching the same food or drinks, for example. Don’t attend if you are feeling sick in any way. You don’t want to put others at risk, in particular your family members.”
When asked if the government will take the opportunity to send a message by fining individuals who organized or attended these events, Moe said public health officials will be working with all individuals involved.
“Our first step is to educate and work with all those involved to ensure they understand the seriousness of adherence to these public health orders,” he explained. “If there’s a repetition of not following the public health orders, most certainly we will move forward with a monetary penalty and that’s happened in other cases.”
Moe remains confident June 8 will be the day when the province begins phase three of their reopen plan.
With that in mind, Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said he would like the public to think about how they plan to engage in a safe manner once phase three starts up.
The province has also extended its state of emergency for two weeks.
(With files from Moises Canales)
