Wednesday, Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab and Minister of Health Paul Merriman addressed the public in a COVID-19 update. The update went over recent COVID-19 cases, their locations, and the efforts currently being made to minimize the spread of the virus.

During this update, Dr. Shahab recommended that Saskatchewan residents prepare to settle down for a quiet Christmas.

"We are not an island, and we are part of Western Canada. The entire Western Canada has seen an upsurge," explained Dr. Shahab during the update. "My recommendation at this time is actually that we need to have a quiet Christmas."

"Whatever our case numbers are, it will be a very different Christmas from last year, but we've learned how to remain connected virtually and remain safe from within our households, so we'll have to see what further recommendations we can give in a week or two about Christmas and the holidays."

He went on to advise Saskatchewan residents to avoid inter-provincial travel unless it's absolutely necessary, as both Manitoba and Alberta are seeing nearly twice the amount of active, COVID-19 cases as Saskatchewan.

When asked about meshing two households together for the holidays, Dr. Shahab advised against that as well.

"Can we get together as even one or two households? It's too early to say. But I think we need to be very cautious because if we relax over the holidays while our case numbers are high, we pay the price in January. Most people should, and are making plans of not visiting within other provinces, and having a quieter Christmas and holiday season. " Dr. Shahab explained.

Comparing Christmas to Thanksgiving, Dr. Shahab explained that if we are not cautious, we could see a surge similar to Thanksgivings but on a greater scale due to the already increased cases.