Sask. premier announces reduced testing and isolation recommendations, no new gathering limits
CBC
Saskatchewan's premier says the province won't impose any new public health orders at this point.
Premier Scott Moe and some of his officials provided a COVID-19 update Thursday morning in Regina.
Despite the rising tide of Omicron cases, the government won't introduce any new gathering restrictions or other new health orders. As of Wednesday there were 66 confirmed Omicron cases and 890 suspected cases in the province.
Saskatchewan might take further actions in the future, said Moe, "but not today."
During the update, Moe announced changes related to testing and isolation requirements.
Asymptomatic people who test positive on a rapid test are no longer recommended to get a PCR test. Instead, the province says they should assume they have COVID-19 and self-isolate.
In addition, the province is reducing the isolation time for asymptomatic, vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19 to five days from 10.
Omicron "is much more contagious [than previous COVID-19 strains]," said Moe. "But it also appears to be milder."
The premier acknowledged that case numbers in the province are rising, but said hospitalization numbers have been decreasing.
Schools will reopen in January normally, said Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.
Other provinces have introduced stricter gathering limits in recent days, but Saskatchewan has not done that.
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