This is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan, listing key policies and developments from the first confirmed infection from SARS-CoV-2 in the province. Saskatchewan reported its first positive COVID-19 tests on March 12, 2020, and its first deaths on March 30.
Saskatchewan has been one of Canada's hardest hit provinces during the pandemic, often leading the country in per capita case rates and hospitalizations. The province's health care system has been severely strained by the pandemic. In late 2021, Saskatchewan transferred more than two dozen intensive care unit (ICU) patients to Ontario for treatment to help relieve its overburdened system. After declaring a state of emergency and instituting wide-reaching public health measures in March 2020, the Saskatchewan Party government, led by Premier Scott Moe, prioritized keeping businesses and schools open, generally hesitating to institute mandates, particularly once vaccines became widely available in the middle of 2021. The province was twice the first in the country to lift all pandemic-related public health orders, first in July 2021, and again in February 2022, the latter amidst a convoy protest occupying Ottawa partly organized by a truck driver from the province. As of July, 2023, 2,000 people in Saskatchewan have died from COVID-19.
2020
Spring (March–June)
COVID-19 numbers On March 12, Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Officer, Saqib Shahab, announced the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the province: a person in their 60s in Saskatoon who had recently returned from traveling in Egypt, who was tested on March 9, and was in self-isolation at their home. By March 24, the province had 72 confirmed cases, including its first cases without clear exposures, suggesting community transmission. By March 30, the province had confirmed 176 cases, and on that day reported its first two deaths from COVID-19—two individuals in their 70s in separate parts of the province. The largest single-day increase in cases that month came on March 28, when the province announced 30 new cases; 18 of the new cases were linked to a snowmobile rally at Christopher Lake on March 14. By that day, the province also reported 6 hospitalizations, including 3 patients in intensive care units (ICU).
On April 8, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) released preliminary modelling data projecting "low", "mid", and "upper-range" scenarios with 153,000 and 3,075 deaths, 262,000 cases and 5,260 deaths, and 408,000 cases and 8,370 deaths, respectively; the projections were dependent on policy responses and public buy-in. In the first half of April, the number of new cases actually began to drop, with reported new cases dropping as low as a single new case on both April 14 and April 16. However, Saskatchewan experienced its first significant outbreak in the latter half of April, centered on the small northwestern community of La Loche and tied to workers traveling between the region and the Kearl Oil Sands Project near Fort McMurray, Alberta. New cases were also confirmed among staff and residents at long-term care facilities in Regina and La Loche. The SHA released updated modelling on April 28, showing that the spread of COVID was slowing and estimating 254,756 total cases and 3,050 deaths. By the end of April, Saskatchewan had confirmed 389 cases and seen 6 deaths from COVID-19; 69 of the 88 cases considered active on April 30 were in the north of the province.
The province announced two further outbreaks in northern Saskatchewan on May 1: one in Beauval and one at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, which was ultimately connected to the outbreak in La Loche. The province announced 34 new cases on May 4, the largest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic, with 29 of those cases in the north. On May 6, the province surpassed 500 cases. However, the number of new cases dropped again in the latter half of May. By the end of the month the province had confirmed 646 total cases and 11 deaths from COVID-19.
Saskatchewan reported only 5 new cases in the first seven days of June and 140 for the month. However, there were still outbreaks. The province reported 18 new cases on June 15, with 13 attributed to a wake and funeral in Clearwater River Dene Nation. On June 17, an outbreak was declared in two Hutterite colonies in the Rural Municipality of Maple Creek. 14 cases were initially tied to this outbreak, which was also thought to be connected to a funeral. On June 21, the province attributed 18 new cases to the latter outbreak.
Political responses On March 12, the day of Saskatchewan's first presumptive case of COVID-19, Opposition Leader Ryan Meili called for the establishment of an all-party committee including members of the governing Saskatchewan Party, opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), and health and economics experts, to help manage the province's pandemic response; however, Premier Scott Moe rejected the idea. Moe did announce that he would not be calling a snap-spring election, which he had been musing about publicly for weeks. On March 13, the province announced its first pandemic measure, a restriction on indoor gatherings of more than 250 people, or 50 people if anyone present had traveled internationally. While the government suggested on March 16 that schools would stay open, Moe changed course in the face of pressure from teachers and parents and announced the following day that all schools would close by the end of the week. Also on March 17, the provincial government announced that it would be delaying the introduction of the budget, given the uncertainties of the economic impacts of the pandemic. The same day, the Legislature amended the Saskatchewan Employment Act to provide unpaid leave protection for workers.
The province declared a state of emergency on March 18, enabling the government to institute wide-reaching public health measures to try and mitigate the spread of the virus. Some of the immediate measures announced including a prohibition on gatherings of more than 50 people; the closure of fitness centres, casinos, and bingo halls; capacity limits at restaurants and event venues; advisories against non-essential travel outside of the province; social distancing measures; and a work-from-home policy for government ministries and crown corporations. On the same day, the Legislature suspended its spring session.
On March 19, Regina Mayor Michael Fougere called on the province to enact stricter measures, such as closing restaurants rather than merely limiting their capacity; this call was echoed by Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark. The following day, the city of Regina declared its own state of emergency, ordering the closure of non-essential businesses including restaurants and retail stores and limiting public gatherings to five people. Similarly, the town of Gravelbourg declared a state of emergency and made strict recommendations on March 22. Fougere acknowledged that provincial orders took precedence over municipal ones, rendering Regina's orders recommendations, but he said that he was "hoping the province will look at this over time and say it would agree". However, the provincial government opted to cancel those municipal orders; Government Relations Minister Lori Carr stated that "during this time of great uncertainty, it is of the utmost importance that we provide certainty to Saskatchewan residents and make every effort to minimize confusion." Cities were able to introduce measures in areas of their jurisdiction. For example, both Regina and Saskatoon suspended transit fares, while Saskatoon suspended utility disconnections and late payment charges, with Mayor Clark stating that the city would work to support vulnerable and homeless populations and those facing economic challenges.
On March 26, the government tightened gathering restrictions, limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people. The province also ordered the public closure of all "non-allowable business services", including business such as clothing, shoe, accessory, and jewelry stores, electronics, entertainment, and toy stores, flower shops, book, gift, and stationery stores, sporting goods stores, pawn shops, and travel agencies. In announcing these measures, Moe noted the importance of "trying to find the right balance between social distancing and keeping our economy in Saskatchewan."
Re-Open Saskatchewan With new cases trending downwards, Moe stated on April 13 that the government was beginning to work on a plan to re-open businesses and lift certain public health orders, pending new cases remaining low and the implementation a robust system of testing and contact tracing. Nine days later, on April 22, Moe gave a televised address—the first by a Saskatchewan premier since Roy Romanow in the 1990s—announcing that the province had "flattened the curve" with a case rate 70% below the national average and hospitalizations and deaths 90% below average, and that he would be releasing a five-stage "re-opening" plan the following day to "gradually and methodically" lift restrictions on commerce and services. Alongside Chief Medical Officer Shahab, Moe unveiled the "Re-Open Saskatchewan" plan on April 23, with the first stage set to begin on May 4, which would see the re-opening of restricted medical services, such as dentistry and occupational therapy, and "low-risk" recreational activities like fishing, golfing, and camping. This made Saskatchewan the first province to release a plan to lift public health orders, with Moe stating that "We are as prepared as any jurisdiction can be." Opposition Leader Meili expressed some optimism about re-opening, but emphasized that the pandemic was far from over and that more direct supported was needed to help people get through it; moreover, Meili critiqued a lack of consultation with communities, including First Nations and Métis leaders, and a lack of coordination with other provinces and levels of government. He argued that what was needed was "a government doing it's due diligence to make sure that this is not an act that is about optics and about a political schedule but is about the best outcomes for the people of the province."