Community-based COVID-19 spread in Sask. rising, health exec says

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Moe noted the gathering resulted in 160 contacts being traced; he said it shows how the pandemic can spread.

“So (an SHA alert is) simply a public awareness tool and it enhances the contact tracing ability that we have,” Moe said.

He warned about the looming cooler weather as a reason for people to re-evaluate their behaviour.

The province added seven new positive cases on Monday, including another five in the Saskatoon zone. Three were linked to an outbreak at the Brandt Industries workplace in the Hudson Bay Industrial area.

Cases linked to Brandt have now risen to 17.

Active cases in the province rose to 145; more than half of those, 76, are in Saskatoon. Another 27 have been identified in communal living settings, a term the province has used to refer to Hutterite colonies.

The province has also identified 22 active cases in the Regina zone and 14 in the central east sub-zone including Melville and Langenburg. One of the new cases on Monday is located in the Regina zone, while the other is in the south east sub-zone that includes Estevan.

Total diagnosed cases increased to 1,814, including 20 new cases announced on Sunday. Of these cases, 887 — 49 per cent — are linked to community transmission, including mass gatherings.

Fifteen per cent are connected to travel, while 29 per cent have no established transmission and seven per cent are being investigated.

Ten people diagnosed with COVID-19 are in hospital, including one receiving intensive care.