Sask. Premier Scott Moe says lockdowns offer 'virtually no benefit'

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe provided his rationale for not locking down his province, saying that lockdowns in the Omicron wave provide "little or no benefit" in fighting the virus.

"It is now clear, at least in this Omicron wave of the pandemic, that lockdown policies cause harm in our communities, often with little or no benefit. They cause economic harm by taking away jobs and removing family livelihoods," Moe said on Wednesday.

They cause psychological harm, by taking away social contact, most particularly for our youth. And they are an infringement on the rights and freedoms we enjoy and value as Canadians. And that's why they should only be used if absolutely necessary, and only if they can clearly be shown that they're being effective, and we're not seeing that as being the case."

The province announced yesterday that it would not be introducing new measures, keeping in place orders for mandatory indoor masking, self-isolation upon COVID contact, and proof of vaccination or negative tests for entering some businesses.

Moe told media yesterday that hospitalizations in the province remain stable, along with ICU admissions being on the decline.

The province told residents "experiencing mild cold-like symptoms including cough, sore throat, sneezing without fever" to not get a PCR test.