Written by Gage Gosselin
Last week, 18 chambers of commerce across Saskatchewan, along with several businesses began to distribute rapid tests to individuals.
“The response has been amazing. In Swift Current, they ran out of kits within 45 minutes and people are thrilled to finally have access to these important tools to aid in the fight against COVID-19. We have had a wide range of people picking up kits, such as students, families and grandparents. People have been expressing how appreciative they are to have access,” said Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
Through the course of the next few weeks, the 18 local chambers will be handing rapid tests to those requesting them, as supply and demand require. Alongside the chambers, ten Canalta Hotels and the Market Mall located in Saskatoon have agreed to distribute kits.
“We asked our local chambers to step up and most were able to as they had sufficient office and staff capacity. I was very pleased to have each of the Saskatchewan Canalta Hotels agree to volunteer their staff and locations,” said McLellan.
“We have always been active participants in each of our respective communities and when this opportunity came along to help in such an important service, we immediately agreed. We all want COVID-19 behind us and we are committed to keeping our neighbours safe and sound,” said Gary Hoffert, Regional Vice President, Canalta Hotels.
The goal of the rapid tests given to households is to help curb infections. The chambers are distributing at no cost to the province or those requesting the kits and based their hours on the anticipated supplies.
Hours of distribution may change in the upcoming weeks, depending on the availability of the kits. Chambers are the only avenue the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Health Authority to distribute the tests, with other agencies offering their services to help across the province.
Tue, May 14, 7:00 PM
