Some words from Saskatchewan health care officials April 15: Yes, the province's numbers of new and active COVID-19 cases are shrinking. No, that does not mean Saskatchewan is totally out of the woods.
Three new cases of COVID-19 were reported by the province April 15, bringing the total number of cases reported up to 304. Out of those 304 cases, 205 people have recovered and four people have died, bringing up only 95 active cases province-wide.
No new cases of the disease have been reported in the far north. The number of total cases in the region, which covers all Saskatchewan communities near Flin Flon, has stayed constant at seven for several days.
The news has been so good that Premier Scott Moe has already floated the idea of "reopening" Saskatchewan, getting the province's economy back to operation and people back to work after a COVID-19 stasis. Moe said April 13 that the release of a plan to restart the provincial economy could come as early as next week, pending testing increases and low case numbers and emphasizing this did not mean workers would return immediately.
"Let me be clear - there is no magic switch we can flip overnight. When we do begin to lift restrictions, reopen businesses and begin public venues, it will be done cautiously, it will be done methodically and gradually," Moe said in a press conference.
In an interview with Global News, Saskatchewan Union of Nurses president Tracy Zambory urged Moe to exercise caution in future plans.
"We're very fearful as registered nurses and health care workers that, when the premier starts to speak in these terms, musing about opening the province, it puts us in a very precarious position," she said.
"We are there to try to keep everyone safe."
