As Alberta introduces new measures, Sask. will hold firm until next week

While its neighbours to the west increase measures and its neighbours to the east remain in a lockdown of sorts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Saskatchewan will continue to monitor the situation.

Alberta's Premier Jason Kenney introduced numerous restrictions on Tuesday limiting gathering sizes and business operations as that province reported 1,727 new cases of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said he was still monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the province, which last introduced new measures on Nov. 27.

He said any decisions about where the province is at with its restrictions would have to be made next week. 

"Any intervention takes two to three weeks to start having an impact," Shahab said on Wednesday.

"Last week I said with my numbers, on a positive note, we are not having 500, 600 cases in a day… which really speaks to the efforts all people in Saskatchewan are doing and minimizing transmission." 

Shahab previously said the province would wait until there was an average of fewer than 120 new COVID-19 cases daily before relaxing restrictions on gatherings. 

As of Wednesday, Shahab said the provincial seven-day new case average sat at 264.

Christmas relaxation looks 'improbable': premier

On Wednesday in question period, Opposition Leader Ryan Meili asked Premier Scott Moe about the province's restrictions following Alberta's announcement yesterday.

Moe echoed Shahab's comments from earlier in the day and said an announcement about the province's COVID-19 measures would come next Thursday.

Moe said the province could either maintain the status quo with the current measures — which he said are "having an effect" — increase measures or potentially relax restrictions.

"With our seven-day test-positivity rate at over eight per cent, it's looking improbable that we are going to be able to relax our measures," Moe said.

Moe said the government would continue to take advice from Shahab on what measures could come into place next week.

After pushing Moe on testing capacity, Meili rounded back around to preventative measures in the province, which he noted has the second-highest per capita rate of COVID-19 in the country behind Alberta.

He noted the NDP called for the province to introduce a three-week long circuit breaker 21 days ago as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and asked Moe if he regretted not shutting the province down then, instead of risking a large-scale shutdown like what Alberta announced. 

Moe acknowledged the response to COVID-19 was wide and varied in Canada and around the world. 

He cited Manitoba's circuit breaker lockdown, extended yesterday, and measures taken in Victoria, Australia, which resulted in shutdown longer than 110 days.

"Literally tens of thousands of people would not be able to go to work the very next day, and for how long, no one knows," Moe said.

NDP suggests targeted lockdowns

After question period, Meili said Moe citing Australia as an example of what not to do shows how little the premier understands how COVID-19 should be handled. Measures taken down there made it possible for people to now participate in large gatherings, Meili said.

He suggested targeted lockdowns in areas with higher COVID-19 transmission rates as a way to move forward.

He said the province should be able to evaluate current measures, given that they were introduced about two weeks ago and urged it to do so.

"This is not doing the job that it was intended to do," Meili said of the measures. 

'Stay the course'

On Wednesday, Shahab said Saskatchewan's current health orders are similar to those that are in place in other jurisdictions. 

He said he knows with the holiday season is quickly approaching people want to be with family but he suggested it may be time to "stay apart but remain connected by other means."

"We really need to stay the course," he said. 

"We think we are managing to keep case numbers low. We do want to see them trending downward and we absolutely don't want to see transmission over the holidays and a January rebound."

Sask. next in line for lockdown: doctor

Nazeem Muhajarine, an epidemiologist with the University of Saskatchewan's college of medicine, said that from his perspective, the restrictions in Alberta essentially create a lockdown. 

He said he would be surprised if Saskatchewan doesn't introduce similar restrictions in the near future.

He suggested that, given the amount of time that's passed since the previous restrictions were announced, it's time for changes.

"Saskatchewan is the only province who is not [locking down]," Muhajarine said. 

"Next week, I think it'll be our turn to do that, but again, it will be two to three weeks after we should have done it."

Muhajarine said he hoped to see more "hard" measures put into place three weeks ago to potentially save the holiday season. 

"That time has passed. That time is gone and that did not happen," he said. 

"Now we are looking at the possibility of taking even more restrictions next week." 

Muhajarine said the test-positivity rate in the province has climbed substantially.

He said a lockdown is like a dose of "bitter medicine" the province needs. 

"Sometimes you have to swallow your medicine, even though it is bitter, you have to take it in order to make yourself  better," he said. 

"I think our bitter medicine is going to be a lockdown so that we can come out of this, safe and soon, with some kind of normalcy, health and well-being."