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New measures are altering the way people across Saskatchewan are celebrating the holidays.
The provincial government announced a series of new rules on Monday to curb the community spread of COVID-19 and to try and reduce pressures on health-care services.
One of the most significant changes beginning on Thursday is private gatherings are limited to immediate household members only.
People living by themselves are allowed to meet with one household of fewer than five people.
“It’s hard to tell where we fit, and I guess it’s easier to just stay home and have a strange Christmas,” Brett Molnar said.
Molnar is accepting her fate ahead of Christmas.
Sharing her house with one roommate, Molnar is prohibited from spending Christmas with her family under the new measures.
“It’s pretty sad to think about,” Molnar said, tossing around the idea of an outdoor gift exchange. “Our family is trying to figure out how that can happen without putting each other at risk.”
Brian Neufeld has limited his interactions for most of the year.
He spends time with his son’s small family three to four times a week a few short blocks away. Now he will need to get used to a small Christmas meal with his wife.
“All of a sudden we’re not even going to be able to get together for Christmas,” Neufeld said of the five-person gathering. “I could meet some friends that we haven’t seen for months at a restaurant.”
Neufeld said he understands that the province is doing all it can to prevent further community transmission, but he wishes it wasn’t so easy to poke holes in the measure, like being able to meet at a restaurant with another couple.
Less than a day after the rules were announced, conversations around how to skirt them and quietly gather started.
Neufeld said most of the people he has talked to were trying to change plans so they could gather with people from other households without attracting any attention from neighbours.
“They have made arrangements to try to work around this or to hide vehicles. It’s silly that you’ve got to do that just to have one or two people at your house for Christmas,” Neufeld said.
Groups up to 10 are still able to see one another outdoors for a “meet and greet,” provided physical distancing between households can be maintained.
“It’s definitely a really sad Christmas, but it’s all in the hopes that in 2021 we can gather, hug and really spend some quality family time,” Molnar said.
“My parents are still working full time, so they’re both pretty busy — and honestly, they might find it nice to not cook the big meal and spend time with all of us crazy kids.”
