We are very thankful to have a team of volunteers in the community who have come together to help out during this difficult time. If you are in need of assistance, please call the town office (306) 792-2022 or email: kathy.springside@sasktel.net and we can connect you with a volunteer.  Outside of regular office hours please feel free to reach out directly to the Springside Baptist Church.   The Springside Baptist Church has mobilized volunteers to help out if you are in need of childcare OR grocery pickup please contact the Springside Baptist Church by email: office@springsidebaptist.com or call Pastor Mike: 306-621-9622.  This offer of assistance is open to everyone in our community not only the adherents of the Baptist Church.

Released on June 4, 2020

There is one new case of COVID-19 to report on June 4, 2020, bringing the provincial total to 648.  The new case is in the Saskatoon region.

Of the 648 reported cases, 29 are considered active.  Six more people have recovered, for a total of 608.
There are currently two people in hospital; both are in intensive care in Saskatoon.

Of the 648 cases in the province:

• 143 cases are travellers;
• 389 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 77 have no known exposures; and
• 39 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 51 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 257 of the cases are from the Far North, 170 are from the Saskatoon area, 112 from the North, 80 from the Regina area, 17 from the South and 12 from the Central region.
• 96 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 230 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 198 are in the 40-59 age range; 106 are in the 60-79 age range; and 18 are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are females and 48 per cent are males.
• 11 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 49,915 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.  As of June 2, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were last available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 37,781 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 46,599 people tested per million population.

If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose or a loss of your sense of taste or smell, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19.  You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. 

Testing for COVID-19 is also now available to anyone currently working outside the home, or anyone returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Beginning June 5, testing criteria will be further expanded.  Testing will be offered to:

• Those being admitted to acute care for more than 24 hours, including expectant mothers.
• Immunocompromised individuals and their health care providers.

Released on June 4, 2020

Phase 3 of Re-Open Saskatchewan is set to begin on June 8.

Businesses and services that are able to begin operation in this phase of the Government of Saskatchewan’s plan to re-open the provincial economy include:

• Places of worship;
• Restaurants and licensed establishments;
• Gyms and fitness facilities;
• Child care facilities; and
• Personal care services that did not re-open in Phase 2.

Guidelines for these businesses and services are included in this week’s update of Re-Open Saskatchewan.  Although the guidelines are primarily directed toward business operators and service providers, members of the general public are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the guidelines in order to take an active role in their own health and safety, as well as to know what to expect when they visit businesses.  The guidelines are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.

Increased Access and Availability of Childcare Spaces for Working Parents in Phase 3

Starting June 8, 2020, employees returning to work as part of Phase 3 will now be offered access to school-based childcare facilities, and child care facilities can have a maximum of 15 children per designated space, up from eight.

The increase means 15 children are allowed per facility or, in the case of larger facilities where the area permits, a maximum of 15 children in one defined area.  These areas must be separate for each group and need to be separated by a barrier that can prevent children, toys and other items from crossing over.

Groups of children and the staff members assigned to them must stay together throughout the day and cannot mix with other groups.  Groups must also be within the same space at the same time, including pickups and drop-offs, meal times, playtime and outdoor activities.

Children are restricted to attending a single facility to reduce transmission risks.  All childcare facilities located within special care or personal care homes are subject to all general restrictions and must have private entrances and separate spaces so there are no shared common areas.  There must be no interaction between children and residents of the home.

To date, applications have been received for 1,030 school-based child care centre spaces, out of an available 2,170 spaces, which represents capacity utilization of under 50 per cent..

The specific details of the guidelines can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/re-open-saskatchewan-plan/guidelines/child-care-facilities-guidelines. 

Additions and Changes to the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan

As restrictions are gradually lifted in the province, additional information will continue to be added to the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan based on direction from public health officials and input from businesses and service providers.

Additions to the plan this week include:

• Updates to the guidelines for fitness facilities;
• Updates to the guidelines for parks and campgrounds; and
• Updates to the public health orders section.

Consultations will continue with faith leaders in the province to further develop the guidelines for places of worship.

In addition to these updates, changes have been made to the way that Phase 4 will roll out.  A date has not yet been determined for this phase, but it will open in two parts to ensure the appropriate public health measures are in place, while allowing people to participate in seasonal and recreational activities.

Openings will take place in the following manner:
Part I (date TBD)

• Child and youth day camps
• Outdoor pools and spray parks

Seasonal/recreational outdoor sports and activities:
 Part II (date TBD)

• Indoor pools
• Indoor rinks
• Libraries
• Museums
• Galleries
• Movie theatres
• Casinos
• Bingo halls

In addition, the following are some updates on other work taking place to gradually re-open the province.
Graduation Celebrations

With COVID-19 bringing an end to the school year in Saskatchewan, schools and communities continue to look for ways to recognize their graduates.  Innovative ways of celebrating this important milestone are encouraged, but all celebrations must comply with the current public health order and guidelines in the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Parks and Playgrounds

The Government of Saskatchewan recognizes there is a desire for parks and playgrounds to re-open.  Although green spaces continue to remain open, playgrounds are closed.  Public health measures are currently being developed for the safe re-opening of playgrounds.  Further details will be available next week.

Beaches

Beaches in Saskatchewan remain closed; however, guidelines to support the safe re-opening of public beaches are being developed.  Further details will be available next week.

Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open. 

Released on June 3, 2020

With the recent rally in Regina and those planned for other Saskatchewan communities, Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab is warning that these types of large public gatherings dramatically increase the risk of COVID transmission and put you, your loved ones and the community at risk.

While Saskatchewan’s number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is low, it is critically important to understand that as many as 40 per cent of persons who are capable of being infectious with COVID 19 may have no or very mild symptoms.

People attending large public rallies are putting themselves and others at increased risk of infection.  Not knowing who they may have been in contact with will make contact tracing and public health follow up difficult.  As a result, individuals may not have timely warning of potential exposure by public health.

This in turn will put members of extended household contacts at risk.  Several outbreaks, both large and small, have been linked to large gatherings here in Saskatchewan and around the world.  Any gathering with more than 10 people outdoors are in violation of the current Public Health Order.

On June 8, the allowed size limit for outdoor gatherings will be raised to 30.  Regardless of the gathering size, two metres of separation is to be maintained at all times.

Organizers are encouraged to have gatherings done in vehicles.  If groups are wanting to congregate or march on foot, they are advised to keep a distance of two metres or more between each person at all times.  Groups are encouraged to treat marching and protesting as though they are visiting a large urban park where 100s of people may be at any given time across a wide space, but promote safety by maintaining the two metres or more of physical distancing.

Mask use and frequent hand hygiene is encouraged.  Items must not be shared or passed back and forth among participants.  In situations where singing or chanting is happening it is recommended that the physical distancing be expanded beyond the recommended two metres as this behaviour expels the virus at a greater velocity and distance.  Consider using signs or banners instead.

Organizers of any protests or rallies are encouraged to contact local public health offices for guidance.  All groups or individuals contemplating participation in protests or marches should consult information on public health orders and gathering size limitations at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus#utm_campaign=q2_2015&utm_medium=short&utm_source=%2Fcoronavirus.

The risks and public health violations apply to all large gatherings.  While peaceful public protests are a part of our democracy, please be aware of the elevated risk to yourself and your loved ones, particularly those in your extended household who may be more vulnerable.

Released on June 3, 2020

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is expanding its criteria for compassionate reasons related to visitation restrictions.

The SHA established a Family Presence Expert Panel with patient and family advisors, along with public health and Infection Prevention and Control experts, to provide guidance on recommendations to support family presence during COVID-19.

Following the work of the expert panel, the new inclusions to compassionate care can be used immediately with full implementation planned for the coming week.

1. For residents in long-term care, quality of life considerations will now be used in addition to care needs to determine if these needs cannot be met without the support of a designated family member or support person.  In these situations, two family members/support people can be designated with one family/support person present at a time.
2. All critical care and intensive care patients are now included in the compassionate care definition (previously limited to those at high risk for loss of life) and family presence for palliative care has been expanded to facilitate two family members/support people being present at the same time.
3. Guidelines have also been revised to ensure that it is clear that there can be one family member or support person for inpatient, outpatient, emergency/urgent care patients who have specific challenges resulting in compromised comprehension, decision making or mobility due to disability or onset of a medical condition.  This could include mobility, hearing, speech including communication barriers, intellectual or mental health disability, and visual or memory impairment.
4. New guidelines have also been created to safely support outdoor visits with these visits NOT limited to one person at a time.

“Compassionate care means different things to different people, so we worked hard together to review this and come up with adjustments that still ensure we are protected when living or coming into these facilities,” a patient and family advisor on the SHA Family Presence Expert Panel and co-chair, SHA’s provincial patient and family leadership council Heather Thiessen said.  “Like so many others, I need my partner there with me if I require emergency care.  Otherwise, I am in danger of not understanding or being able to communicate what is happening to me to my care providers.  I am so proud of the work our panel is doing, and I look forward working with the SHA to support families in keeping each other physically and mentally safe in this pandemic world we live in.”

Decision tools have been created for care teams to assist with knowing when a patient or long-term care resident can have a family member or support person with them in person.  This includes ensuring clear guidelines for designated family members or support people to follow such as screening, hand hygiene and limited movement within a site.  Individuals will also be asked to review a SHA Family Presence Commitment document, created by the family expert panel.

“When the global pandemic hit Saskatchewan in March, our first priority was to physically protect our patients and residents from contracting COVID-19,” SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said.  “We needed to tightly control who was coming into our facilities given the potential consequences for our long-term care residents and our patients.  That hasn’t changed.  But we have also learned that we need find the right balance between physical safety and mental health and well-being.  We have heard that clearly from our residents, patients and families.  So, together, we are trying to find the right path forward in the weeks and months ahead.”

As an additional level of safety, all outpatients and family members/support persons will be provided with a medical grade mask and asked to wear it while in SHA homes and facilities.

For more information on visitation guidelines, visit the new section on www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 under Visiting SHA facilities.