Covid-19 precautions lead to sweeping closures
March 24, 2020, 1:59 am
Kara Kinna
From theatres to sports facilities to town offices to many businesses, precautions against COVID-19 have led to closures across the area, and have changed life as everyone knows it.
Last Monday it was announced that schools across the province of Saskatchewan were being closed and as of March 23 classes were suspended, sending thousands of children home and parents wondering what they were going to do. The government has decided to keep daycares open so that parents have child care options, however there can be no more than eight children in a daycare room at one time. Across the province, recreation facilities, offices and town offices have closed, and almost all events have been cancelled.
On Friday the government of Saskatchewan announced more sweeping measures effective immediately including:
• Public gatherings of more than 25 people in one room are prohibited except where two metre distancing between people can be maintained; workplace and meeting settings where people are distributed into multiple rooms or buildings; and retail locations (ie. grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations).
• The closure of all nightclubs, bars, lounges and similar facilities. Take out of alcohol or food products is permitted with two metre distancing between customers and the delivery of alcohol or food products.
• In-person classes in all primary and secondary educational institutions both public and private are suspended.
• Visitors to long-term care homes, hospitals, personal care homes, and group homes shall be restricted to family visiting for compassionate reasons.
Effective today the government is closing all restaurants, food courts, cafeterias, cafes, bistros and similar facilities; all recreational and entertainment facilities including fitness centers, casinos, bingo halls, arenas, curling rinks, swimming pools, galleries, theatres, museums and similar facilities; all personal service facilities including tattooists, hairdressers, barbers, acupuncturists, acupressurists, cosmetologists, electrologists, estheticians, manicurists, pedicurists, suntanning parlours, relaxation masseuses, facilities in which body piercing, bone grafting or scarification services; all dental, optometrist, chiropractic, registered massage therapy and podiatry clinics except for non-elective procedures.
On Friday Saskatchewan had six new, presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, bringing total cases to 26. Eight cases were confirmed and 18 cases were presumptive.
Visit www.world-spectator.com for continuing updates and news stories as well as a link to the World-Spectator’s COVID-19 information and resource guide.
