“We should be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked.” 

Those were the words of Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe as he addressed the residents of Saskatchewan through a video on social media on Thursday, defending the government’s actions when it comes to the Omicron COVID-19 variant. 

Moe said limiting large gathering sizes will be considered in the coming weeks, but as of right now the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 doesn’t merit more public health measures. 

“Even with new cases on the rise, COVID-related hospitalizations continue to drop, now at their lowest levels since August. So, this is a challenging situation. Case counts are definitely rising. They will continue to rise in the days ahead,” Moe said in the video. 

As of Thursday, the province is recording 148 cases on the Omicron variant, including 27 confirmed cases and 121 probable cases. 

While new restrictions and lockdowns are coming into effect in provinces such as Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, Moe said Saskatchewan will not go through another lockdown. 

“We do not want to go back to shutting down activities, restricting businesses in our communities, and taking away your personal freedoms. There are some things that we can all do to protect ourselves and to keep the pressure off of our healthcare system so that we don't have to shut down again,” Moe said. 

Moe said to help avoid going back into a lockdown, everyone should get their booster shot. He noted that getting your booster shot might not prevent you from getting Omicron, but it will prevent you from becoming extremely sick and potentially hospitalized. 

Moe also pointed to the free rapid tests that are available throughout Saskatchewan.