Moe, Meili weigh in on reopening Saskatchewan

Close enough.

That was the message from Premier Scott Moe on Monday, one day after he announced Saskatchewan would be lifting all COVID measures July 11 even though it hadn’t officially hit its vaccination target.

The province set a goal of having 70 per cent of people aged 12 or older immunized with one dose of a COVID vaccine. Once that goal was reached, there would be a three-week waiting period before removing the restrictions on mandatory masks and gathering sizes.

However, that number was only at 69 per cent Sunday when the decision to lift the restrictions was made. It was still at 69 per cent as of Monday’s COVID update from the provincial government.

“We’re actually going to go by the 70 per cent in the 12-and-up (age group). I’m certain we’ll achieve that at some point this week,” Moe told reporters at Government House on Monday.

“Seventy per cent is not the finish line. Seventy per cent is the benchmark so that we can now move forward … and start to open up our society.”

He also reminded people the vaccine campaign isn’t over yet.

“This doesn’t stop at 70 per cent … Once you’re eligible, you’re always eligible …,” he said. “If you haven’t done so already, continue to go out, get your first shot, and a few weeks later, get your second shot.

“No matter what the reason is as to why you may not be vaccinated at this point, now is a good time to go out and get that first shot. If you wait three weeks to get your second shot … you can still make it as a fully vaccinated person to a (Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL) game.”

NDP Leader Ryan Meili didn’t have much of an issue with the early call to trigger the lifting of the final two restrictions.

Instead, he had some issues with how the Re-Opening Roadmap was structured from the start.

“I thought the problem from the beginning was fully tying this to vaccination rates, because (with) vaccination rates, if we still have high hospitalizations and high cases, that’s clearly not enough. Now, if our case numbers are really low and hospitalizations are really low, it does give you more flexibility,” he said.

He hopes the government’s plan works and life can go all the way back to normal. However, he’s still urging caution.

“Just because we’ve reached that goal does not mean we are now out of the woods and safe. We see the rise of the Delta variant. We know that other places are seeing higher numbers of cases,” Meili continued.

“In terms of reopening, we know we’re going to be headed into that next phase. I really hope it works. (I) encourage people to continue to be careful. If you’re not vaccinated, be wearing a mask, be cautious of going in large gatherings and continue to watch what’s going on.”

NDP Leader Ryan Meili speaks to reporters at Government House in Regina on June 21, 2021. (Dominick Lucyk/980 CJME)

He didn’t rule out the possibility of calling for more restrictions if the COVID situation gets worse in the future.

“As we all look forward to this working — and we all hope that it does — (it’s vital) that we also are smart about it,” Meili said. “If things start to change, if hospitalizations and cases start to rise, then we know how to change directions if that’s what happens.”

For Moe, the milestone of nailing down a date for reopening was worth celebrating.

“(These are) exciting times in Saskatchewan. (We’re) not finished yet, (there’s) still some more work to do, but I think (it’s) a time for us just to pause and be very proud of what we have achieved,” he said.

The premier added what he’s most looking forward to doing once Saskatchewan is fully open once again.

“For me, it’ll be (continuing) to try to see my family more than maybe I have over the course of the last six or eight months,” he said.

He’s also very excited about the very same thing as many people in this province.

“I can’t wait to go to a Rider game. I absolutely can’t wait,” Moe said with a grin. “The Grey Cup has spent far too many months in the city of Winnipeg. It’s time to bring it home.”