Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Saskatchewan back in March, there have been a total of 11 cases reported here in southeast Saskatchewan. The case count in the region is the second-lowest in the province, behind the Far North East Region, which has had a total of six cases so far. 

Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan said the low numbers demonstrate how well people in the region have been following the public health guidelines that have been in place since the start of the pandemic. 

“It’s really just how vigilant and diligent people are in following the guidelines, and you know, just doing the things that we need to continue to do,” Duncan pointed out. He mentioned the people in the area have been practicing physical distancing, washing their hands frequently, wearing masks when applicable and more, which has kept the region to having just two active cases of the virus as of Monday afternoon. 

While the number of cases is low, Duncan cautioned against letting our guard down. 

“The virus isn’t gone – those are just the confirmed, positive cases we know about,” Duncan stated. “There’s likely more cases out there, maybe asymptomatic cases, so now’s not really the time to spike the ball in the end zone.” 

Quoting Premier Scott Moe, Duncan reminded residents it is a marathon, and not a sprint, adding the low numbers aren’t a reason to stop what we’re doing, but rather it confirms what we are doing is the right thing. 

“People are being responsible, taking precautions and, you know, just being smart about this and I think that’s a testament to what everybody has done, all the sacrifices that have been made.” 

Duncan pointed out there are a number of jurisdictions not just in Canada, but across the globe, that have seen people lapse on following the guidelines, and letting their guard down, and those jurisdictions have seen drastic spikes in the number of cases of COVID-19.  

"It has been a long haul these last number of months, and I think there’s a certain sense of COVID fatigue that’s setting in, and people kind of thinking about letting their guard down and maybe being lulled into a false sense of security because the numbers are relatively low, especially in the southeast,” Duncan added. He said people need to keep doing what they can to keep the numbers low.