Microbiologist, Sask. Chamber of Commerce say new COVID-19 rules are right direction, find good balance

A microbiologist in Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce both approve of the province's new COVID-19 restrictions.

The restrictions include limiting most private indoor gatherings to household members only and capping outdoor gatherings at 10 people, assuming that physical distancing can be maintained. Both of those restrictions take effect Dec. 17.

Meanwhile, casinos and bingo halls will have to shut down starting Saturday, while personal services such as hair salons, massage therapy and tattoo parlours will only be allowed to operate at half capacity.

Venues such as conference halls, arenas, museums and movie theatres can still host events with up to 30 people, but all guests must be seated, and food and drink are not permitted "unless explicitly stated in the order," the province said.

Kyle Anderson, a microbiologist in the college of medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, said the province is heading in the right direction.

He said Saskatchewan can learn from other provinces and countries that saw their second wave hit sooner. In those places, transmission started with superspreader events but quickly progressed to in-home transmission.

"We don't need to reduce these mass events anymore, but target each one of those little events happening," he said.

What the government has done so far has created a plateau in cases, Anderson said, but even this plateau is too high for our health system to manage.

Clearing up apparent inconsistency

The number of people who can gather in a home has been reduced dramatically, but people can still go to stores. Anderson said this may seem contradictory, but it's not as inconsistent as it sounds.

"When you go out to a store to buy things, you're probably not there for hours and hours," he said.

"You're not sitting next to the same people and talking and discussing. So, just from a standpoint of how likely are you to pick up COVID or transmit COVID to someone else, the home is definitely a higher risk place right now." 

Anderson said enforcing the measures would also be an important part of keeping cases down. Some people might not be following any of the measures right now, he said, and enforcement might be a motivator.

Retail restrictions find good balance

As part of the new restrictions, retail services will be reduced to half capacity and large retail locations — stores with an area larger than 20,000 square feet — will be reduced to 25 per cent capacity starting Christmas Day.

Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, said the government hit the right balance as the measures will help protect people's health and the economy.

"We think they've taken a responsible step, and this also recognizes the great advantage of our small, locally owned businesses that still have restrictions — but not quite to the extent of the larger big boxes — which are a big competitor this time of year," he said.

McLellan said the restrictions will eliminate the usual "Boxing Day mania" that stores normally see. He said the chamber supports the move, but acknowledged many stores will see less revenue.

"We think they're creative enough," he said.

"They'll flow that money out over different days and maybe some of it will go online. But the reality of it is that we needed to do something as a province."

McLellan said many businesses had already implemented further measures before they were announced, but workers will have a less stressful time enforcing them now that they're province-wide.

"It takes a bit of the pressure off of the retailer, or their young staff in many cases," he said.

"If we can say that it's not only a responsible action, but it's the law."

McLellan said he wouldn't want to see further restrictions.

"I think it's saddening what some people are going through in terms of their illness and, obviously, some families are losing loved ones. But the reality of it is there has to be a balance," he said.

"It would be a false concept to suggest that it's all got to be health care, all got to be economy. We all have to pay a price."

McLellan said many people are struggling with their mental health as well and that having a consistent paycheque can help with that.

"I'm not trying to balance one versus the other, COVID versus mental health, economy versus health care," he said.

"There isn't an elegant choice of one or the other. It's got to be a combination, and we think the province has done a good job of finding that right middle."

Current public health orders remain in effect until Jan. 15, when they'll be reviewed.

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