page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan
section_title: Timeline
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan / Timeline
caption_attribution_description: English: Supermarket shelves that stock cleaning supplies are empty due to panic-buying as the result of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. As of August 19, 2020, there have been 1586 confirmed cases, 1410 recoveries, and 22 deaths in Saskatchewan.
  A provincial state of emergency was declared on March 18, and the province began to institute mandatory closures of non-essential facilities and lines of business over the days that followed. By early April, the number of new cases within Saskatchewan began to trend downwards; on April 6, the number of new recoveries began to regularly equal or exceed the number of new cases, which also began to steadily drop. On April 23, 2020, the province unveiled a plan to gradually begin lifting economic restrictions on May 4, although restrictions on larger public gatherings, social distancing, and self-isolation after international travel, will remain in force indefinitely. As of July 14, 2020, COVID-19 testing is available universally to all residents.
  Late-April saw a major outbreak emerge in northwest Saskatchewan, centred upon the town of La Loche.
context_section_description: Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Officer Saqib Shahab announced the first presumptive case of in the province on March 12, a person in their 60s that had recently returned from Egypt, who was tested on March 9, and was in self-isolation at their home. By March 16, the number of presumptive cases in the province had increased to seven. On March 17, one new case was reported. On the same day, the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan recommended that those who attended the 2020 Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver to self-isolate after many cases, including two in Saskatchewan, were linked to the event.
  On March 18, 8 new cases were reported. On March 19, four new cases were reported, bringing the provincial total to 20. On March 20, six new cases were reported, and 8 were confirmed. On March 21, 18 new cases were reported, including 11 healthcare workers who attended a physicians' bonspiel at a curling club in Edmonton from March 11 to 14. The index case was reported to be a physician from Saskatchewan who had contracted COVID-19 in Las Vegas. On March 23, 14 new cases were reported, and only one was still presumptive. On March 24, six new confirmed cases were reported, totalling 72 confirmed cases. This includes four cases thought to possibly be the result of community transmission, pending a full investigation. Another new 14 cases were announced on March 25. On March 26 and 27, 9 new cases were reported each.
  On March 28, Saskatchewan announced the largest single-day increase in cases, at 30. The spike, especially in northern and central Saskatchewan, was attributed to 18 cases involving attendees of a snowmobile rally in Christopher Lake on March 14. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) initially announced two positive cases (including a participant, and a server at an associated dinner) on March 25, and has advised self-isolation for anyone who had attended.
  On March 30, the confirmed case count rose to 176, and Saskatchewan also reported its first deaths from COVID-19. Both people were in their 70s and were from separate parts of the province.
caption: Another supermarket in Regina, in which most cleaning supplies have been bought as a result of panic buying.
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