Keep Calm – Let’s Talk Perspective!

On April 23^rd, Saskatchewan residents eagerly tuned into Premier Scott Moe’s provincial address on the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan. At the time the Province had reported 330 total cases, 57 of which were considered active. As a Province, we had all worked together to effectively flatten the curve. As we progressed through initial phases of the re-open plan many people were skeptical and feared that we would see a rapid increase in the number of cases, others were relieved to see businesses begin to open their doors after a lengthy closure period. Let’s fast forward to mid-August and look at the current COVID-19 situation in Saskatchewan.

To date, Saskatchewan has had 1,580 cases, 193 of these are active. Since the middle of July, we have seen an average increase of 21.84 cases per day. At first glance, these numbers may seem concerning, especially when compared to our previous, lower numbers, but it is important that we take the time to look at the whole picture.  Of the total number of cases, 65% are linked to either traveling or community contacts, such as mass gatherings. Additionally, our current percentage of active cases is 12.2%, this is lower than the 17% which we saw on April 23^rd. We also need to consider the number of tests being administered; in the last 30 days, we have seen a 54.8% increase in testing. Province-wide hospitalization numbers have fluctuated between 6 and 19 between April 23^rd and August 16^th and are down 33.3% over the last month.

What does this all mean?

Although it is easy to become anxious about the daily increase in numbers it is important that we keep things in perspective while maneuvering through the pandemic.  As Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shahab has pointed out on several occasions, we should expect to see clusters of outbreaks over the course of the pandemic. Saskatchewan residents should remain vigilant while continuing to practice good hygiene and physical distancing, and although not mandated, the use of masks is also encouraged. Anyone who is experiencing the common symptoms of COVID-19 should be self-isolating and contacting HealthLine 811 for guidance. Of course, these precautions apply to the workplace as well, we don’t want to be complacent in our efforts to keep our workers healthy and safe.

Since the onset of the pandemic Service Hospitality has been here to support and guide you by offering a series of COVID-19 resources, guides and articles. We also continue to offer our free webinar series on a variety of health and safety topics. If you have questions related to COVID-19, or your Health and Safety Management System, please do not hesitate to reach out to us by email ([email protected]) or telephone at 306-522-5499.