Local government and law enforcement are still waiting for further direction from the province, as further measures are expected to come in following the recent mask mandate. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Josh Ryan

Waiting For Direction

Local leaders prepare for future changes from province

Nov 18, 2020 | 1:38 PM

As residents gear up for the heart of the winter season, local leaders prepare for more direction on how to tackle challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government of Saskatchewan amended their earlier announcement, expanding mandatory masking to every municipality in the province, as well as reduce private gatherings to five people. North Battleford Mayor David Gillan said it wasn’t a surprise and thinks the measures are prudent, with the Saskatchewan Health Authority moving from only targeting the densest populations to making the measure province wide.

“We have to realize that this pandemic is far from over and is surging now that everyone is indoors,” Gillan said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this is only the beginning of many more measures.”

If restrictions continue to tighten, Gillan said it will hurt businesses, such as restaurants and gyms. However, the city doesn’t control the decision making for these sort of issues.

“We’ll try to be as helpful as we can with our residents and business community,” Gillan said. “But at the end of the day, this is a global pandemic and we all have to do our part.”

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The question becomes what municipalities will do to enforce masking measures, whether it’s at shopping centres or people participating in protests like the Freedom Rally from Sunday. Gillan said he respects people’s right to opinion, but at the same time, wants to remind all residents the measures are meant to protect citizens, especially the most vulnerable.

“Everybody has their positions, but at the end of the day, we’re all neighbours and trying to stay healthy,” he said.

Battlefords RCMP Sgt. Jason Teniuk said they are still waiting for more information from the province on how to proceed with situations where people ignore the mandate. Typically, officers don’t immediately give out a ticket, conducting investigations first, before going by public health recommendations.

“Our approach is a little more cautious in terms of how we look at every situation,” Teniuk said. “Just making sure we have everything in order, before we make a decision one way or another.”

Role for calls continues, gather evidence, working hand in hand with public health officer.

“That’s no different than anything different that we’ve been doing in terms of public health, whether it’s people not in isolation or people with COVID that are told to stay home.”

While the RCMP are still analyzing what their exact role will be, Teniuk is asking residents to stick to the province’s mandate.

“It’s a new thing for everybody, but I certainly encourage everyone to wear a mask,” he said.

While police officers are also tasked to follow that mandate, Teniuk said people shouldn’t be alarmed upon seeing specific situations where they are not wearing a mask.

“Occasionally there may be some situations in the community, where they don’t have masks on, just so that obstructed vision doesn’t affect their job,” he said.

As of November 18, there are 5,553 positive cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, along with 3,422 recoveries and 32 deaths. There are 76 people currently in the hospital.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports