(File photo, CKOM Staff)

By Lara Fominoff, CKOM News

Health ministry, SHA to launch ‘COVID Enforcement Team’ in coming weeks

Oct 8, 2021 | 4:50 PM

There could soon be an additional tool to help enforce public health orders in Saskatchewan: A COVID Enforcement Team (CET).

During a Saskatchewan Health Authority physician town hall meeting Thursday, medical health officer Dr. Johnmark Opondo presented the information to his colleagues.

“An enforcement team is being set up centrally at the COVID response unit with the Ministry of Health. This is a group of retired police officers who are really going to assist us,” said Opondo.

They’ll help public health inspectors where they’re short, with masking non-compliance complaints and regulating proof of vaccination non-compliance complaints from businesses and members of the public.

“(The Ministry of Health has) set up a provincial online non-compliance reporting form,” Opondo said. “And there’s a toll-free reporting number which they’ll be screening and following up any kind of public health complaints.”

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Prior to all public health orders being lifted July 11, members of the public could report public health order violations by filling out an online form.

Opondo says the SHA is also setting up secure isolation sites at Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford.

It should all be up and running in the next few weeks.

Requests for additional information from the health ministry and the SHA were made, but no one responded by the time of publication.