(650 CKOM file photo)

By Keenan Sorokan/CKOM News staff

‘In due course’: Province mum on easing restrictions following Moe tease

Jan 26, 2022 | 6:38 PM

The Saskatchewan government doesn’t have any immediate plans to publicly answer any questions about lifting public health restrictions surrounding COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Ministry of Government Relations spokesperson Jay Teneycke repeatedly asked reporters not to ask questions about the easing of restrictions less than three hours after Premier Scott Moe told Gormley certain public health orders could be lifted soon.

“The intention for today’s call would be to not go into that. Those announcements will be made at a future date and time,” Teneycke said as a warning to journalists at the beginning of the weekly teleconference update.

Instead, Teneycke directed reporters to ask questions about Paxlovid’s arrival in Saskatchewan, which was revealed in a news release Tuesday.

Anytime a reporter asked about Moe’s comments or wanted to learn more, Tenneycke repeated his directions to reporters, reminding them the purpose of the call was to talk about Paxlovid and not public health restriction timelines.

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Earlier in the morning during a conversation with Gormley, Moe wondered about the effectiveness of Saskatchewan’s current restrictions.

“It’s incumbent on us to look at the ones that we have and are they still effective? Have they run their course?” Moe asked.

“I think in the next number of days, you’ll see some further communication around the existing public health orders or the existing restrictions we have in place and, in particular, those that are impacting our youth.”

On Jan. 6 — less than three weeks ago — chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab urged people in Saskatchewan to minimize contacts as much as possible and avoid any gatherings, if at all possible. He wasn’t nearly as forthcoming about why Moe would entertain lifting restrictions at this time.

“A lot of the government decisions will be communicated in due course,” Shahab said Wednesday after the first question was asked about Moe’s comments.

“Not just in Saskatchewan, but every jurisdiction in Canada is now assessing the situation and navigating our path forward. We all have our strengths and challenges.”

Shahab went on to speak about the effectiveness of vaccine booster doses and Saskatchewan’s readily available supply of rapid tests as two tools helping people curb the spread of COVID-19.

He also voiced his support for proof of vaccination requirements as the Omicron variant approaches its peak transmission in Saskatchewan.

“We need to be very clear that the proof of vaccination requirement worked really well during the Delta wave,” Shahab said.

“The reason for that was that people who received two doses of vaccines were extremely unlikely not only to get seriously unwell but also less likely to be infectious. The situation now is a bit more complex.”

Shahab said two doses of an approved vaccine makes a person less likely to transmit COVID for a longer period of time and helps a person avoid a trip to the hospital.

Ultimately, the decision lies with each government to determine if proof of vaccination requirements will be upgraded to include a booster dose or be eliminated altogether, the top doctor said.

Shahab figures the current COVID-19 wave is expected to peak in one or two days as our numbers have lagged behind provinces such as B.C., Quebec and Alberta by a week or two.

“We still need to stay the course for another four to six weeks to prevent a rebound,” Shahab said after declaring Thursday or Friday as the peak.

“We already know that a week or two (after the peak) we will continue to see an increase in hospitalizations. (We will experience) some pressure, but not the same as Delta, on ICUs.”