Living with COVID-19: What has changed?

Saskatchewan’s Public Health Orders for COVID-19 ended on February 28. Here’s what’s changed and what hasn’t in SHA facilities in order to reduce transmission of infectious disease and viruses, such as COVID-19 and influenza, and protect our vulnerable patients, clients and residents.

Masking and Screening

Everyone entering an SHA facility is still required to wear a medical-grade face mask and screen for COVID symptoms.

This is to ensure the safety and protection of everyone, including our health-care teams. Medical-grade face masks are available at all entrances to SHA facilities. The self-screening questions and masks will be available inside, either at a front desk or at self-serve stations. Look for posters when you enter a facility.

Please remove your current mask, hand sanitize and don a new mask. Ensure you are wearing it correctly, covering both your mouth and your nose. You can be refused entry to a facility if you refuse to wear a face mask.

SHA facilities will continue to require screening for essential family/support persons and visitors. The SHA is transitioning to self-screening which means individuals coming into facilities as a support person or visitor will be relied on to review and answer questions on their own prior to entering.

Please stop and ask yourself if you are:

• Are you currently under federal orders to isolate or quarantine due to recent travel?
• Have you or anyone in your household tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days?
• In the last 24 hours, have you had any COVID-19 symptoms?

If you answer yes to any of those questions, please do not come into the facility. Your honesty and support is critical in maintaining a safe environment to care for your loved one.

Visiting long-term care

Family presence has been reopened in those long-term care homes where there are no COVID-19 outbreaks. We will continue to manage outbreaks on a case-by-case basis, and measures may come into play such as reduced family presence or enhanced safety protocols if needed.

A list of the homes with their family presence status is available on here.

Testing for COVID-19

PCR testing for COVID-19 is now limited to people who are more at risk of developing severe disease due to COVID-19; for instance, those who are hospitalized, those moving into long-term care, and those who are immunocompromised.

Rapid antigen tests are what everyone else can use if they think they are at risk for COVID-19. The rapid antigen test kits can be picked up at a variety of locations within the community.

Those in need of tests for travel can book through private providers.

Vaccine delivery

Vaccine is your best defense against COVID-19. Please ensure you are fully vaccinated, including boosters when eligible. There continues to be wide access to COVID-19 vaccines for the public both through SHA clinics, along with pharmacies. Walk-in and pop-up clinics continue to be held across the province. You can book an appointment an SHA clinic or by calling the SASKVAX line or book on-line.

On behalf of health-care teams across the province who are working hard every day to deliver quality care to your loved ones, we thank you for your support and cooperation in keeping our facilities safe.