Cases of COVID-19 may be on the rise in Saskatchewan overall, but the rise has been gradual enough that the provincial government isn't panicking over it just yet. With almost two full weeks of classes down, they're reasonably pleased with early returns on back-to-school. 

"So far, we have seen no evidence of the virus being spread within the schools," said Premier Scott Moe. "The protocols the schools have put in place are working, and I would say they are working quite well. So, I would say thank you to the students, to the teachers, and to all of the staff for everything you are doing to ensure that our classrooms are safe."

As of last Thursday, the province has begun tracking cases in schools separately and will release that information on a weekly basis. The data for the first week back (albeit a shortened week due to the long weekend) was promising. That wasn't to suggest schools were out of the woods as cases climbed outside them, however.

"If there are more cases in our community, it only stands to reason that some of those cases are going to be students and some will be teachers," said Moe. "That's how the virus will enter our schools. That's what we have seen in a few schools in Saskatoon."

The cases in Saskatoon, some of which stem from a large social gathering and others of which stem from an outbreak at a local business, have been a cause for some concern. They have not yet led to outbreaks in the schools, however. 

"This is our second week back of in-class learning," said Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab. "While six schools have had a single case each, and the week before opening there was a staff member who was symptomatic... schools reopening overall is going smoothly. As long as children and staff who are unwell stay home, the proper protocols are followed, while we expect to see the occasional case or cluster in schools, we look forward to schools continuing as they are."

Both Moe and Dr. Shahab stressed that whenever community transmission rises, schools become higher-risk environments, so they asked the people of Saskatchewan to maintain their physical distancing and keep up with the good habits they've largely been practicing since the pandemic began.