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sask. instituting mandatory masks, vaccine passports
saskatchewan continues to add covid-19 cases at an unprecedented pace — with unvaccinated children making up the largest share of new positives.
sep 16 2021
5 minute read
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saskatchewan’s premier says the “time for patience is over” and that the province is putting in place mandatory masking requirements as well as implementing vaccine passports, all amidst the largest surge of covid-19 since the pandemic began.
the mandatory masking is set to start friday for indoor public spaces, with vaccine passports or a required proof of a negative covid-19 test being implemented on oct. 1 for select venues and services. as well, employees of crown corporations will have to be vaccinated or provide repeated proof of negative tests.
“as a government, we have been patient with those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated. but the time for patience is over,” premier scott moe said in a video posted thursday morning in advance of an afternoon press conference with moe and chief medical health officer dr. saqib shahab.
“the vast majority of saskatchewan people have done their part. unfortunately today we are faced with a fourth wave, resulting in increased case numbers and a significant capacity pressure in our health care system which is close to exceeding what we have faced before. but unlike previous waves, this wave of the pandemic is being driven almost entirely by one group that consists of about 20 to 30 per cent of our population: those that have made the choice to remain unvaccinated.
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“as a province and as a government, we have been very patient — possibly too patient. the time for patience is now over. the choice to not get vaccinated … is now seriously impacting those who did do the right thing. and it is now seriously impacting those who cannot get vaccinated: our children. and it is prolonging the pandemic for everyone.”
moe said the province did not want to have to implement such measures and that the government has patiently provided the opportunity and access for people to get vaccinated.
“that patience has now come to an end,” moe said. “the vast majority of saskatchewan people have done the right thing and they are growing tired of the reckless decision of the unvaccinated that is now driving our fourth wave.”
the premier had previously said his saskatchewan party government will not make vaccines mandatory. last week, he said the government would not bring back a mask mandate.
on wednesday, saskatchewan continued to add covid-19 cases at an unprecedented pace — with unvaccinated children making up the largest share of new positives.
the province announced 475 new cases on wednesday, 104 of which were diagnosed in children under 12, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. the cases announced on tuesday topped 500 for the first time. the province has reported the three highest daily case counts of the pandemic over the past three days, including 506 on tuesday. active cases cracked the 4,000 mark for the first time since january on wednesday, and total diagnosed cases topped 60,000.
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saskatchewan continues to trail every jurisdiction in the country except alberta in its vaccination rate for those 12 and older. saskatchewan is also adding covid-19 cases at the fastest rate among provinces with 241 per 100,000 people over seven days, according to information compiled by the federal government. the comparable national rate is 78.
total active cases rose to 4,016 on wednesday and total diagnosed cases hit 60,149. the seven-day average of new daily cases continued its climb into unchartered territory to reach 416.
opposition ndp leader ryan meili on wednesday said he believes the pressure is building on moe and his saskatchewan party government to take action.
“it is absolutely mind-boggling why scott moe, in the midst of the worst fourth wave in the entire country, is so committed to doing the least he possibly can and will only ever do anything if he’s dragged kicking and screaming,” meili told reporters.
alberta reintroduces restrictions, limits
major changes were announced wednesday in alberta, where premier jason kenney has reintroduced limits on gatherings along with elements of a vaccine passport system.
the united conservative government declared wednesday a state of public health emergency.
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“we may run out of staff and intensive care beds within the next 10 days,” kenney said.
there have been mass cancellations of non-urgent surgeries throughout the province — transplants, some cancer treatments and children’s surgeries, as staff are reassigned to covid-19 care.
to stem transmission, kenney’s government introduced an array of measures including a form of the vaccine passport. several provinces are bringing in the passports, which compel people to prove they have been vaccinated before being allowed to use non-essential services. kenney had resisted such measures for health privacy reasons. but critics said he did so to prevent a revolt by anti-restriction members of his caucus.
kenney said he was reluctant to approve what he called, not a passport, but a “restriction exemption program.”
“with unvaccinated patients overwhelming now our hospitals, this is now the only responsible choice that we have,” he said.
starting sept. 20, people will need to show proof of vaccination to enter select non-essential businesses, including retail shops, restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, concerts and libraries. however, businesses that opt out of the program can operate at reduced capacity and with distancing rules or restrictions. for example, restaurants not in the program are limited to outdoor dining with no more than six people at a table.
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there is a welter of other rules to reduce capacity at weddings, funerals and private social gatherings starting thursday.
mandatory work-from-home orders are also in place unless it’s essential a worker is on-site. masking in schools, previously left to school boards, is now mandatory for students in grade 4 and up, along with staff and teachers.
kenney pushed back on suggestions that he and his government are to blame for the crisis. his government lifted nearly all health restrictions on july 1 despite warnings of the delta variant. no action was taken through the summer as cases and hospitalizations soared.
at the time, kenney triumphantly announced covid-19 was on the wane and mocked reporters who warned of the delta variant. he announced there was no plan b for high hospitalization rates because the government didn’t foresee it happening.
earlier this week, the province’s chief medical health officer, dr. deena hinshaw, acknowledged the decision to drop restrictions was wrong and that it lit the fuse on the skyrocketing caseload.
kenney apologized for misreading covid’s predicted path in june but said he wasn’t sorry for lifting all restrictions. he said he didn’t think a covid-weary population would continue to follow them.
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