Saskatchewan schools are staying open for the time being in spite of concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

The province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, made the announcement Sunday at the T.C. Douglas Building in Regina.

Shahab’s decision was based on the fact that the six presumptive cases so far in the province are all travel-related and there hasn’t been any “sustained community transmission” of the virus in the population.

“Any recommendation to close schools is based on risk assessment and made on a case-by-case basis,” Shahab said in a media release. “The decision to close schools should not be made in the absence of valid public health reasons and the benefits and risks need to be considered carefully.”

Shahab added that “there could be school closures locally on the direction of the local Medical Health Officer or more broadly on the direction of the Chief Medical Health Officer.”

Among the factors that would lead to closures are: Evidence of sustained transmission within the community; a rapid increase of local cases; and, transmission without a known link to travel or confirmed cases.

Shahab maintained people need to look at the reality of what the province is facing right now.

“If we had a child who was sick, travel or no travel, and they came to school, which shouldn’t really happen, but was sent home and tested positive for COVID-19, again there would be a risk assessment.

“How long was the child in school while sick? Who did the child have contact with while sick? How old is the child? What is the setting in the classroom? Was there only a few people sitting around the child, what were the dynamics that maybe everyone in the class was a close contact,” explained Shahab.

“And based on the that, either the class will be dismissed for four or five days to sort that out a few contacts would be asked to stay home in self isolation for two weeks. Really, if you had significant concerns you could dismiss the entire school, but only if the child was sick for days and days and had been going to school.”

Shahab also said Saskatchewan is in a little different position than Ontario and Manitoba, both of who made the decision to close schools. Those provinces have a March break and many families travel or book trips. This way it ensures a 14-day isolation period for anyone who may be travelling abroad or in Canada.

Self-assessment tool available

The province is hoping a new online questionnaire can help ease the burden on HealthLine 811 and health-care providers when it comes to COVID-19.

On Sunday, the province added a self-assessment tool to its website.

It gives people a chance to answer questions, the responses to which will determine if they need to undergo further testing for the coronavirus.

HealthLine has been inundated with calls from residents wondering if they need to be tested.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Sarah Mills