(File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

COVID-19 precautions

City COVID restrictions remain due to province’s high numbers

Jan 11, 2022 | 2:20 PM

The City of North Battleford will keep its enhanced COVID-19 restrictions in place in response to high numbers in Saskatchewan.

The city currently requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result for members of the public entering certain city-owned facilities, such as the Battlefords Co-op Aquatic Centre. Youth ages 18 and under are exempt from the measures.

City manager Randy Patrick cited in his monthly report to council on Monday the high daily new case numbers in the province as a concern. He said the presence of the Omicron variant is another risk.

“Right now, we just don’t know enough about what is going to happen with this, and the numbers are going up fairly dramatically,” Patrick said. “So at the current time administration is recommending maintaining the existing restrictions.”

The province reported Jan. 11 it now has a total of 8,829 active cases throughout Saskatchewan and 1,027 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The seven-day average of daily new cases is 980, a 87.5 per cent increase from a week prior.

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The Government of Saskatchewan reported 1,173 new cases on Jan. 7, the first time the province had cases over 1,000 in a single day.

Patrick noted the total numbers are likely even higher than reported simply because more people are self-testing rather than getting a formal test through the SHA.

QR codes required

Patrick said the city will begin accepting only QR codes at facilities where proof of full vaccination is required starting next week, instead of a physical card for a better COVID vaccine check.

People can pick up a free Rapid Antigen Test kit for COVID-19 at City Hall. The fire hall used to offer them also but the hall will be temporarily closed to the public as a precaution effective Jan. 11, to ensure first responders stay safe, so people will need to go to City Hall instead.

Mayor David Gillan said he appreciates the city is “taking all precautions,” not just for recreation facilities but also for the city’s essential services, “to ensure they can continue in this time when we are seeing high levels of infection.”

“We don’t want to have any disruption to key services, like water, sewer, police, [and] fire,” he said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow