Sask. announces 11 new cases of COVID-19; subtracts 9 cases from total

Sask. officials speak on reopening Phase 4 Part 2 Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Shahab provide an update on the province's reopening and COVID-19 stats.

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government announced 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday while confirming the second part of phase four reopening begins June 29.

Of the new cases, 10 are in the far north and one is in Saskatoon.

In total, the province has confirmed 753 cases of COVID-19 after subtracting nine cases involving out-of-province residents, per guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Ninety-eight cases are considered active while 642 people have recovered.

Four people are in hospital, including three receiving inpatient care and one in intensive care.

To date, 61,226 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.

SHA WORKING WITH HUTTERITE COMMUNITIES TO BRING PROTOCOLS UP TO STANDARD

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and local Hutterite communities are working together to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 after some communities failed to implement the proper public health measures.

In March, the Hutterian Safety Council established the COVID-19 Safety Taskforce, which provides regional bulletins advising communities to reduce gatherings, practice physical distancing and proper hygiene. However, recent cases linked to two Hutterite communities are under investigation as related to local and interprovincial travel.

“In the spirit of openness, HSC wishes to acknowledge that there have been challenges getting some Hutterite communities to implement adequate COVID-19 protocols and to abide by the public health orders although most adapted with care and managed the transition somewhat easier than others,” the joint statement said.

The statement explains that a false sense of security is present in these communities due to the belief that they are isolated and insulated. HSC says it is working to dispel this belief

“While the remoteness and the separateness of our communities can be beneficial, it does not eliminate the risk of the virus entering our communities.”