Premier Scott Moe. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME file photo)

By CJME News

‘No significant benefit’: Moe says no new measures coming for Sask.

Jan 24, 2022 | 12:10 PM

Despite record daily case numbers and rising hospitalizations, Saskatchewan won’t be implementing stricter public health measures in an attempt to curb the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

In his first media conference since testing positive for COVID on Jan. 13, Premier Scott Moe reiterated the provincial government will stand pat when it comes to its public health measures.

“Omicron is spreading across Canada and it’s spreading around the world regardless of the public health measures that are in place, which is why we have chosen to avoid increasing those public health measures and increasing the policies surrounding lockdowns here in Saskatchewan,” Moe told reporters Monday.

“We are not going to impose additional restrictions that cause significant harm for no significant benefit.”

Unions and the NDP have called for Moe to implement stricter measures, but he and his government have chosen not to do so. Masks are mandatory in indoor public places in Saskatchewan and proof of vaccination is required to access some businesses and event locales.

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Saskatchewan reported 1,629 new cases of COVID on Sunday, the highest total in a day in the province since the pandemic began. There also were 252 people with the virus in Saskatchewan hospitals, up eight from the previous day.

But Moe defended his government’s actions by comparing Saskatchewan’s totals to those of Quebec, which he said likely has the most extreme health measures in place.

He noted that province has just under 40 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, which the premier said was double the rate in Saskatchewan. As well, Quebec has recorded more than 1,000 COVID-related deaths in January, which Moe said is seven times more per capita than the rate in Saskatchewan.

As well, the premier once again said his government is eager to avoid the economic and psychological harm that could result from stricter measures.

“COVID is not going away,” Moe said. “It’s going to remain an ongoing concern for all of us. But we live with other diseases in our communities and in our province that are also ongoing concerns. We do this without locking down, without taking away people’s freedoms and without disrupting everyone’s life. We need to make every effort to get to that point with COVID-19.”

To that end, he again urged residents to take rapid tests, to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots.

Moe said 46 per cent of those over the age of 18 in the province have got their booster, as have 74 per cent of people over 60.

He admitted the vaccine may not keep people from contracting COVID, but it could limit the severity of their illness if they do.

“That was certainly my personal experience,” Moe said. “I really had little if any symptoms at all and felt quite good throughout my COVID infection. I expect it might have been a lot worse had I not been fully vaccinated and had I not had my booster shot a couple of weeks prior.”