Premier Scott Moe says Sask. household restrictions may loosen as soon as next week

Household restrictions in Saskatchewan may loosen as soon as next week, according to the premier.

Premier Scott Moe spoke at a news conference Tuesday. He said as numbers are trending down, the limit of household members only gathering indoors may be removed. As well, Moe said they will take a closer look at all other public health orders set to expire on March 19.

"I'm asking everyone in this province to hang tight for just a few more days. The next number of weeks, not months, we are going to start to see things change and change significantly," Moe said Tuesday.

"Spring is coming. Vaccines are on the way. We are on the path to getting life back to normal as we know it, but we're just not quite there yet," Moe said.

On March 2, there were 134 new cases, 194 recoveries and two deaths reported from COVID-19. There are 1,492 active cases in the province and 154 people are currently in hospital. There have been 387 deaths related to COVID-19 during the pandemic.

Moe said any restriction changes are contingent on the vaccine rollout. He said after household restrictions are loosened, the other restrictions may be relaxed slightly.

"If we continue to have access to Pfizer and to Moderna in the amounts that we have been indicated to us that we would have access to, we would be able to provide virtually everyone in the province their first dose by the end of June. This really is a game changer."

Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province's chief medical health officer said people 50 and older with underlying risk factors should continue taking extra precautions until they're vaccinated.

"We already know that three weeks after your first dose, you have a high level of protection, irrespective of which vaccine you receive," Shahab said.

Shahab said it's also important to look at case numbers around the province. The province currently has 11.8 cases per 100,000, with it lower in some specific areas but higher in Regina and the North.

"If we need to have a more regional approach, we can certainly consider that," Shahab said. "This is something that we'll have to keep monitoring both our overall rates, but also some of the settings of transmission."