Head of La Ronge cottage-owners group says province overreacted with travel restrictions in north
Matt Klassen says order doesn't take into account population and distance
The head of a cottage owners-group in La Ronge says the province is overreacting by restricting travel across the entire north to fight COVID-19.
Matt Klassen, who is also a town councillor in La Ronge, said the travel order doesn't reflect the distances and population of the top half of the province.
"What seems to be a bit of a breakdown is there's a vast amount of communities up here, we're not one community," he said.
"We're spread out and I think we need to look at that differently because the demographics of the region."
There are more than 200 cottages in the La Ronge area. Klassen said that more than 90 per cent are vacant right now. Owners are wondering whether they'll be able to come to the properties when the ice breaks.
He said that people understand the need to follow health protocols and are willing to abide by the rules.
"If there needs to be road blockades, if we need to be shut down, then so be it, we need to be. But I don't think that's necessary right now because of the situation of having no cases in our direct region," he said.
He said the frustration stems from La Ronge being more than 400 kilometres from La Loche, where the biggest spike in cases is coming from.
The Saskatchewan government said Monday there are 12 new cases of COVID-19 in the province and all of them are in the northern part of the province: 11 new cases in the far north region and one in the north. Twenty-nine of the reported cases currently active in the far north are in La Loche.
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