COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan have spiked dramatically in the past 24 hours, with 17 new positive cases and another presumptive case reported by the provincial government Saturday.
Out of the new cases, 16 involve people over 20 years of age. One case involves a young adult.
The new diagnoses bring the province's total number of infections to 44. Twenty-five of those cases are confirmed, with the remainder still considered presumptive.
The new positive cases come one day after sweeping changes and shutdowns in Saskatchewan life, including the banning of most gatherings of at least 25 people in one room, the shutdown of most bars, nightclubs and lounges and the suspension for most visitors to long-term care homes, hospitals and personal care homes.
All Saskatchewan residents travelling internationally are asked to immediately self-isolate for 14 days upon arriving in Canada.
Before March 21, testing on possible COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan was done through the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. The province announced March 21 that a Saskatchewan-based facility, the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory, can now handle confirmatory COVID-19 testing. The facility is now able to process more than 450 COVID-19 tests per day and confirm cases in Saskatchewan without sending tests out of province to get results.
