There are seven new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on September 17. One case with pending residence information reported on September 16 was removed (deemed to be a non-SK resident), bringing the total to 1,757 reported cases.
The new cases are located in the Saskatoon (4), South West (1) and South East (2) zones.
None of the new cases in the Saskatoon area are linked to the social gathering initially reported in the provincial news release on September 13. To date, there have been 21 cases linked to the gathering. Contact tracing efforts are underway, and it is likely that other cases will be identified before this chain of transmission is resolved.
Of the 1,757 reported cases, 109 are considered active. A total of 1,624 people have recovered.
Five people are in hospital receiving inpatient care in Saskatoon.
Investigations completed thus far have found that 29 of the 109 current active cases are from communal living settings.
To date, 164,666 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of September 15, 2020 when other provincial and national numbers are available from Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 116,815 people tested per million population. The national rate was 169,055 people tested per million
Data is provided by 32 sub-zones to help the public more easily identify areas where virus activity may be more prevalent. Information is not specific to schools, but schools with a declared outbreak will be posted at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/latest-updates.
Information for the week of September 7-12 is posted at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-Safe-Schools-Plan. Reports will be published Thursdays.
Public health orders in Saskatchewan specify that indoor and outdoor gatherings may have a maximum of 30 people, provided there is enough space to maintain a two metre separation between individuals who are not in the same household. Gathering sizes should be smaller if there isn’t enough space to maintain a physical distance of two metres at all times.
There can be very serious consequences for not following Public Health Orders limiting the size of private and public gatherings, including fines. Fines may be $2,000 for individuals and $10,000 for corporations, plus a victim surcharge.
A $2,000 fine has been issued to the organizer of a large social gathering in a private household in Saskatoon. This private gathering had approximately 47 people in attendance, contravening the gathering size limit of 30 people in the Public Health Order. This gathering has subsequently led to 21 identified cases of COVID-19 to date.