Saskatchewan health minister says people need to see 'light at the end of the tunnel'

OTTAWA -- Saskatchewan’s health minister says people need to see that there is a “light at the end of the tunnel" in regards to COVID-19.

Minister Paul Merriman told CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Monday that Saskatchewan’s reopening plan isn’t premature.

Saskatchewan is set to start the first phase of its reopening plan at the end of May, when 70 per cent of residents aged 40 and up have their first COVID-19 vaccine dose. In comparison, the federal government says restrictions could loosen in the summer if 75 per cent of eligible Canadians have received their first COVID-19 vaccine and 20 per cent are fully vaccinated.

“This is encouraging people to go out and get vaccinated so we can hit that 70 per cent mark,” Merriman said.

Merriman explains why he views Saskatchewan’s plan as an incentive at the video at the top of this article.

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  Paul Merriman, minister of health, speaks to media after a tour of the COVID-19 mass immunization clinic and drive-thru immunization space at International Trade Centre in Regina on Thursday Feb. 18, 2021. The province also has mobile immunization vehicles to distribute the vaccine to remote communities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell