Clark asks residents to ‘buckle down’ to prevent further spread of COVID variants

As COVID-19 variants of concern continue to spread in Saskatoon, Mayor Charlie Clark is once again asking people to “buckle down and take action” to prevent the city from becoming overrun with the virus — especially the U.K. strain.

He also thanked those who have been following public health restrictions.

As of Thursday, Saskatoon recorded 74 new cases of COVID, along with 372 total screened cases of  the B.1.1.7. variant. There are currently 515 active cases in the region and Clark said the trend is now going in the wrong direction.

“I know people are tired,” he said. “I know how hard it is for people over and over again to tell your children that they can’t have a birthday party — some kids are missing two birthday parties in a row — or to have playdates or sleepovers with their friends or have gone on for many months without being able to see elderly parents.”

He said efforts made by the public in the past have paid off, and have kept COVID from “taking over the city.” He reiterated his concern for the community once again — but also had sharp words for those who chose not to follow public health orders.

“It’s the people who won’t stay home and who aren’t following public health orders who are risking the lives and the health of those who can’t stay home,” he emphasized.

“The people who can’t stay home are those people out on the front lines right now. Whether they’re working in grocery stores or doctors’ offices or within our hospitals and health systems, police and frontline workers, they are sacrificing their health to keep our community functioning and safe.”

Clark said the city was essentially handcuffed when it came to enacting further public health measures, and called on the public to go above and beyond the current restrictions.

City facilities

At this time, there won’t be any changes to public access to public facilities like libraries, leisure centres or transit.

Emergency operations manager Pamela Goulden-McLeod said city officials are taking the lead from the provincial government on services. That said, the city is taking every step possible to ensure public services like transit are safe.

As for leisure centres, Clark said current public health guidelines allow for them to remain open.

“This is something we’re reviewing and we’re also talking to the province and saying we want to take — and we’re prepared to take — whatever steps we need to do,” he added.

Libraries remain open as well and they’re not something the city has jurisdiction over, although Clark explained the city works with the Library Board.

Goulden-McLeod said she’d been hearing a lot about community garage sales, but currently they’re still allowed under the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, said Goulden-McLeod.

However, she added that “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do something given the current situations. It’s about all of those decisions we make every day.”

COVID workplace spread

Medical health officer Dr. Jasmine Hasselback also asked employers and those who must go to work to be extra cautious in the coming weeks, and for residents to curtail social gatherings including those outdoors.

She said anyone who is infected with the virus is now more likely to have the B.1.1.7 variant.

“You should only be physically interacting with your household and then in those times when you have to (interact with others) making sure you’re wearing the best mask available to you, and maintaining two metres distance and… keeping that time short,” she said. ”

There has been a “migration” of COVID back into offices again in the city and that includes all manner of workplaces, from processing facilities to offices to retail outlets. She suggested if people have to go to work, when they any kind of break, to do it outside.

“It is nice enough now. You are able to maintain distance very easily … (so) no more clustering outside or clustering inside during these high-risk periods,” Hasselback said.

As for some restaurants and bars that have been flagged by public health authorities, Hasselback said many owners and operators are abiding by public health orders, but dining indoors remains a higher-risk activity because people are removing their masks to eat or drink.

However, no workplace is immune, she added.

“We’ve seen a remarkable variety of settings in which COVID-19 has transmitted in the workplace,” she said.