Sask. hockey player resting at home after neck slashed by skate
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'Considering the circumstances ... this is best-case scenario,' Cole Cusitar said.
With the majority of new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan appearing in La Loche and Lloydminster, the two communities will not be allowed to begin Phase 1 of the provincial reopening plan on May 4.
La Loche and its surrounding communities are now dealing with 49 cases of the novel coronavirus, while an outbreak at Lloydminster’s hospital has led to 13 cases.
On Wednesday, 11 new cases were attributed to La Loche — as well as the province’s sixth death, an elder in their 80s who was a resident at La Loche’s long-term care facility.
Premier Scott Moe announced at the province’s daily COVID-19 briefing that while the rest of the province will proceed with the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan on Monday, it would not be able to happen in La Loche and Lloydminster due to their outbreaks.
As of Wednesday, 66 of the province’s 85 active COVID-19 cases were in the north or far north regions of the province.
Significant resources are being provided to La Loche to help the northern village control the outbreak of the virus in its community. Door-to-door testing is planned, with 100 additional health staff being brought to the area to help with testing and contact tracing, while 65 self-isolation bed spaces are being set up to allow community members to properly self isolate.
Moe emphasized anyone in the community who wants a test will be able to get one.
“We need to identify positive cases as quickly as possible when we have outbreaks such as these,” he said.
Discussions are also continuing with La Loche Mayor Robert St. Pierre and other northern leaders on how to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the north, Moe noted.
He said within the next 24 to 48 hours, changes may be announced to the northern lockdown that was ordered by Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab on Friday.
“They very well may relax in some areas where we don’t have a large number of positive cases at this point in time,” Moe said. “But they very well may be enhanced in some areas in and around La Loche.”
Lloydminster COVID-19 patients being “cohorted” on separate floor of hospital
No travel restrictions were suggested by Moe for Lloydminster, with its outbreak seemingly contained to the city’s hospital.
The province said Wednesday five health-care workers and eight patients had contracted the virus in the hospital.
They’re now being “cohorted” together in separate units at the hospital to reduce exposure risks for others attending the facility.
The emergency department of the hospital remains open, but others who require admission may be diverted to another hospital.