City of Saskatoon continues to maintain services in the face of Omicron

There’s no panic from Saskatoon City Hall despite more employees testing positive for COVID-19 than ever before.

According to a city report presented at Monday’s Governance and Priorities Committee, the city has logged 359 positive cases among staff members since March 2020. That includes 202 cases being reported as of Jan. 1, forcing those employees into isolation.

The numbers represent less than five per cent of the city’s total workforce.

City manager Jeff Jorgenson said the city has been able to manage the decreased staffing levels without impacting services.

“We think we are in great shape,” he told the committee. “We’re not in a circumstance where we’re at risk. Risks are being managed at the department level through the city. We are very confident in our current status and our going forward status.”

Return to work

City employees working from home during the pandemic were set to return to the office Feb. 1, but the administration is once again revising the timeline.

The city says with the emergency of the Omicron variant and the increased transmission rates in Saskatoon, the return-to-work plan for staff has been paused until April 1. The committee also adopted a motion by Coun. Bev Dubois that all in-person meetings be delayed as well.

Financial impacts

The city says it’s spending nearly $100,000 per month to enforce proof of vaccination at city buildings.

According to the report, the cost for having commissionaires at leisure centres is $13,000 per week and $10,000 per week for indoor arenas. The use of commissionaires will continue to be reviewed monthly.