Saskatchewan is announcing "significant" changes to its COVID-19 masking policy on Tuesday, according to the Remote and Rural Health Minister Everett Hindley. .Hindley said the masking policy for healthcare and hospitals across Saskatchewan would revert to pre-COVID-19 masking requirements.. Everett Hindley .“I think it will be tomorrow [Tuesday] that we will be announcing through consultation with our partners in the ministry [of Health] and the SHA [Saskatchewan Health Authority] in consultation with Dr Shahab and also Dr Susan Shaw,” replied Hindley..“We will be reverting back to the previous masking policies in our healthcare facilities. So essentially removing the requirement for masks at facilities.”.Certain areas of healthcare facilities will still require masking as they did prior to the pandemic, according to Hindley..“Now, of course, just going back to the way it was before the pandemic where, you know, masks would have been used,” said Hindley..“I would think in operating rooms, ICUs, that sort of thing, you know, high risk, high needs assessment type of areas, but aside from that, to reverting to, its back to where the policy was in SHA facilities prior to the pandemic.”.Hindley said he heard from families and healthcare workers who want to return to pre-pandemic mask policies..“I know as a minister. I was hearing about it from families but also from healthcare workers,” said Hindley..“A number of healthcare workers across this province felt that it was time to revert back to the previous policy. So, I know myself personally had a number of phone calls, responding to phone calls from healthcare workers that were also asking for this.”.“So that’s, again, something we raised the minister of Health and I with the folks at the SHA and senior leadership and Dr Shaw and Dr. Shahab and made this decision.”
