Cut back on activities to curb the spread of COVID-19, Sask’s best doctor says



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With the number of cases on the rise, the Saskatchewan chief health officer says everyone in the province must cut their activity by “more than half” to curb the spread of COVID-19.

For example, Dr Saqib Shahab said someone who goes grocery shopping twice a week should cut it down to once a week.

“Go as we were going in March and April … with a list, where you went and got what you needed,” Shahab said in an interview Friday with CBC’s. The Morning Edition. “The same goes for restaurants and bars.”

Shahab said people who support local businesses should continue to do so, but they should go less frequently and stay more than two meters away from people outside their family.

“Customers also have to behave very differently. We have to walk into a restaurant with our masks on,” Shahab said. “Take off your masks when we eat and drink [are] served and if we want to chat for a while, let’s put our masks back on “.

Shahab said that if people don’t curtail their activities, the restrictions will have to become stricter.

On Saturday, the province announced the largest one-day increase in new COVID-19 cases to date, with 439 cases reported.

Prime Minister Scott Moe called those numbers “very disturbing”. He said in a statement Saturday that the province is working closely with Shahab and will have more to say early next week about the possibility of further measures.

On Friday, Shahab said for now, the suggestion to reduce activity is a recommendation from the province.

Measures such as restrictions on the number of people in businesses are part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan guidelines, which are “under review as we speak.”

“And then, of course, there are public health orders – so you know, like masks and other things like collection bounties,” Shahab said.

“They are not part of the guidelines – they are made as a public health order, which usually has a definite time frame.”

Shahab said provincial recommendations, Saskatchewan Reopening guidelines and public health orders can be used in a mutually supportive way.

But some will have to change, he said.

In regards to sports like hockey, where teams travel and play without masks, some activities will need to be slowed down, Shahab said.

“For recreational sports, which are very important, at this point we are saying that two teams play in limited local [games]”he said.” If we can safely slow them down, it is preferable. “

He also said there is no industry to blame for the province’s rising COVID-19 numbers.

“Places of worship, bars, restaurants, sports – all contribute 10 to 20 cases per day,” he said.

“If we closed them, there would be no contribution [of new cases]. If we slow them down, for example, three to five cases per day contribute. We can go back under 60 [new cases per day]”, Shahab said.

“Cooperation must come from all of society, not just from the business sector, but from all who live, work and play in Saskatchewan.”



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