It was a moment so, well, momentous, that a press conference was held to announce the press conference that would tell what was coming.
The Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan.
It's not a miracle, it's not a stunning success, and it's not even a document with a happy, pleasant tone.
What it is is a good, well-though-out and intelligent approach to getting back to normal in the face of the greatest plague to hit humanity in a generation.
It's hard to stress how practical the approach appears to be.
Each phase involves greater and greater public freedom and access to areas and services previously shuttered due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But unlike certain areas elsewhere in North America, it's an approach that is dramatically measured, with a focus on the most gradual re-opening possible and time between each step to assess the outcome.
Phase One will hit on May 4, which based on the current trend for new cases and recovery rates, could see the province inching into a active case number in the teens if not single digits – as of Friday afternoon, it sat at 57, with recoveries outweighing new cases on a daily basis. And if not for the tragic outbreak in northern Saskatchewan, we would have actually been on track for zero – literally zero – active cases in the province by May 4.
As it stands, Phase One carries the least risk of transmission while still opening services: fishing and boat launches to start, along with access to non-essential medical and dental services. May 15 will see the opening of golf courses with severe restrictions and guidelines, followed by parks and campgrounds on June 1.
Phase 2 sees more retail businesses and personal services opening, beginning on May 19. Phase 3 is more re-opening of businesses and even restaurants, but at a 50 per cent capacity. Phase 4 is the re-opening of indoor and outdoor recreational and entertainment facilities, and Phase 5 will be the end of it all.
Part of the cautious approach is ensuring the obvious – that along each step and each phase, there isn't a sudden outbreak or major uptick in cases in the province.
And that's the message that was hammered at over and over again by Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab during the main press conference.
This is all happening because of what Saskatchewan people have done, but it will go right back to what we have today if people are careless or start breaking the many guidelines regarding social distancing.
That's the thing that can not be stressed enough.
EVERYONE STILL HAS TO BE CAREFUL.
This is not a carte-blanche party-it-up breakthrough where it's all open for business. That might be case in certain U.S. states, but we're way too smart for that, and we've proven it over and over again through the first two months of this mess.
Just look at what's happened down south in the last week. My favourite metric for comparing how we're doing on a population per million basis is now officially broken. Saskatchewan has the best outcome in total cases by nearly 100 over Hawaii, and by four fewer deaths per million. An island state in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has a worse caseload that we do right now.
That kind of says it all.
So do the right thing, Saskatchewan. Enjoy Phase One when it comes out, go boating and break out a fishing rod, get ready to hit the links and maybe even get back to getting that wonky hip worked on.
But do it the right way, the positive way.
And let's Re-Open Saskatchewan.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
