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 August 6, 2020

There are 11 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on August 6, bringing the total to 1,387 cases.  The new cases are located in the South Central (9), Saskatoon (1) and South West (1) zones.  Of today’s 11 reported cases, ten are people living in communal living settings.

One more person has died from COVID-19.  This person was in the Regina region and was in the 70-79 age range.
Of the 1,387 reported cases, 204 are considered active.  A total of 1,164 people have recovered.

Thirteen people are in hospital.  Seven people are receiving inpatient care; three in Saskatoon, two in the South West region, one in the Central East region and one in Regina.  Six people are in intensive care; four in Saskatoon, one in Regina and one in the North Central region.

Of the 1,387 cases in the province:

• 205 cases are travellers;
• 706 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 365 have no known exposures; and
• 111 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 64 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 352 cases are from the far north zone (346 far north west, 0 far north central, 6 far north east), 304 cases are from the south zone (150 south west, 143 south central, 11 south east), 218 cases are from the Saskatoon zone, 226 cases are from the north zone (98 north west, 63 north central, 65 north east), 187 cases are from the central zone (159 central west, 28 central east) and 100 cases are from the Regina zone. 
• 218 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 441 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 435 are in the 40-59 age range; 243 are in the 60-79 age range; and 50 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
• 19 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 106,019 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of August 4, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 77,325 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 113,666 people tested per million population.

Yesterday, 954 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.

More Detailed Data Available

New COVID-19 maps have been launched to provide more detailed information on the location of cases across Saskatchewan.

One map has 13 regions with comprehensive statistical information for COVID-19 activity in that region.  The second map is broken down into 32 smaller zones and will provide new positive and current active COVID-19 case numbers for those smaller zones.

The current online Dashboard remains based on the previous six larger regions, while work is underway to incorporate the new geographic information over the next few weeks.  The Dashboard can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness. 

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.  A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811.  Since introducing universal testing, there has been an increase in requests to be tested with the corresponding increase in provincial testing numbers.  The Saskatchewan Health Authority is working to ensure responsive service timing.  Contact your physician’s office if you are experiencing worsening symptoms.  If you require urgent care, call 911.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

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

Released on August 6, 2020

A safe return to the classroom must include frequent cleaning and disinfection to minimize transmission risk.  The Safe Schools Plan released earlier this week includes specific protocols for Safe Facilities which includes proper hygiene and increased sanitization.

The province’s 27 school divisions have plans in place to ensure schools are properly sanitized and have hand washing protocols and routines in place to ensure students and staff are safe.

Following recent approval of these plans, specifics for individual schools are being coordinated with local medical health officers.

Common changes students and staff will see in schools include:

• objects removed that cannot be effectively cleaned or disinfected, such as story time rugs;
• hand sanitizer at accessible entry points, like the main entrance to the school and classrooms;
• mobile sink stations in common areas along with signage and instructions;
• scheduled hand washing times and protocols incorporated into structured learning for younger students; and
• special consideration for cleaning products that are safe for food surfaces, including water fountains.

The province and school divisions have ensured that all students and staff will have regular access to hand sanitizer.  Together with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education is working to supply schools with gel hand sanitizer in the 500 ml and 50 ml bottles.  This supply of hand sanitizer is in addition to the sanitizer, cleaning supplies and Personal Protective Equipment that schools have already procured either through government contracts or on their own.

The 27 provincial school divisions had a saving of approximately $40 million for last school year, which is being used for costs associated with a safe return to school, this may include increased custodial staff.  Teachers and staff are not expected to purchase their own products as school divisions and the province will provide these and additional supplies as needed.

As well, all requirements associated with the increased sanitization and disinfection of facilities including common areas will be completed by custodial staff throughout the day, and teachers are not expected to conduct this work.  All disinfectants and sanitizers used must be approved by Health Canada (DIN) and all label requirements, including contact time, should be followed.  This may mean additional training for custodial staff to ensure proper application.

Each school divisions’ plan, available for families to review online, outlines the additional measures that will be regularly completed during the school day to clean high-touch areas.

To view the measures in your local school division, please visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2020/august/05/sd-safe-schools-plans. 

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For more information, contact:

Stephanie Ali
Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-6304
Email: stephanie.ali@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-533-6391