As of May 1, 2020, Saskatchewan has 26 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 415. Nineteen of the new cases are in the Far North (La Loche and surrounding area), four are in the North (three in Lloydminster) and three are in the Saskatoon area.
While there is only one COVID-19 positive case involving a patient at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, an outbreak has been declared at the hospital. Contact tracing and investigation is underway to ensure all contacts are identified and testing has been completed on all known contacts.
Of the 415 reported cases, 112 are considered active. Two more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 297. There are currently 10 people in hospital; seven are receiving inpatient care (four in the North region and three in Saskatoon) and three are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).
Overall in Saskatchewan:
To date, 30,357 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 29, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 23,658 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 20,971 people tested per million population.
The Ministry of Health recommends proper road travel etiquette for critical travel in the North to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The only people who should be travelling to the North are people returning to their primary residence, and people going to La Ronge or Stoney Rapids. No one should be stopping in between communities or travelling between them.
The following measures should also be observed:
Communities without grocery stores are encouraged to create bulk purchasing plans with its members in order to limit travel. Communities should also work with their regional partners to facilitate efficient critical travel to and from hubs for items such as groceries and medication.
Shoppers should contact stores prior to visiting in case there are customer limits.