Game Attendees In Pil Country Section Asked To Self Monitor Due To Elevated COVID - 19 Risk
If you attended the Saskatchewan Roughriders home opener game last weekend - Friday August 6th - and you were seated in the Pil Country section the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) wants you to know you were in an area where there is an increased risk of contracting the virus.
The SHA has issued the following advisory:
August 6, 2021 – Pil Country section at Mosaic Stadium in Regina from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.
“Contact tracing for the August 6 game is ongoing, however as this case was located in the Pil Country end zone contact tracing is difficult. There is at least one case of an infected individual attending the game in this section,” a release from the SHA states.
The SHA has issued the following:
As per Disease Control RegulationsOpens in new window, all individuals in attendance – particularly those watching from the Pil Country end zone – during this date and time should:
Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 until August 20, 2021;
If symptoms develop, start self-isolating immediately and seek testing; and
If you already feel unwell or were in contact with an ill individual while at the game or afterward self-isolate and seek testing immediately.
Self-isolation means you need to stay home, avoid contact with anyone who is not fully vaccinated (individuals who are considered fully vaccinated have received two doses of vaccine and are at least two weeks past their second dose), and stay away from work, school, stores, social events and any other public setting.
Call HealthLine 811, your physician or nurse practitioner if you develop symptoms; you may develop symptoms from two to 14 days following exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.
It is important to note the following:
COVID-19 is transmitted through coughing and sneezing (aerosol and droplet transmission), and by touching surfaces with the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
Memorize and recognize the symptoms: fever, cough, headache, muscle and/or joint aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis, dizziness, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite (difficulty feeding for children), loss of sense of taste or smell, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing. Stay home if you have symptoms and monitor yourself.
Get tested: Learn more about testing and regularly take the online self-assessment at Saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. Call HealthLine 811 or your physician for a referral.
Get vaccinated: At this time, the risk of contracting COVID-19 is not determined by age but by immunization status. The data is clear that the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community from serious illness and death is to be fully immunized.
Care for yourself and others: Anyone at any age can contract COVID-19. Be kind to each other and to health-care workers.
Download the COVID-19 Alert app: The Health Canada COVID Alert app is available to all Saskatchewan residents at no cost in the Apple and Google Play app store. The app is another tool available to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 by letting people know of possible exposures without sharing any personal information. For more information, visit the COVID-19 Apps webpage.
It needs to be noted that the Pil Country end zone section created a political stir when three NDP MLAs and NDP staffers attended the game and then posted on Facebook that they were there and seated in that section.
The attendance of NDP MLAs set off political questions after the Party had previously warned about the game being a “superspreader event” and the need to allow only those who are vaccinated and wearing masks to attend according to CTV Regina. The questions were asked by the media including a column which appeared in MJ Independent.
It does need to be noted that the SHA alert was only received by MJ Independent late on a Friday afternoon meaning we cannot ask questions and obtain further details until Monday.