With the number of countries with confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continuing to grow, Saskatchewan public health has updated its recommendations to residents and health providers regarding travel to and from those

Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab (Courtesy of the Ministry of Health) countries.

In a press conference yesterday morning, Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr Saqib Shahab said that there are more than forty countries that, like Canada, are reporting a handful of cases of the virus, but that only a handful are displaying what he called "ongoing community transmission" meaning that the risk of public transmission is high enough to warrant travel guidelines.

Countries that are included in those guidelines now include China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Northern Italy, Singapore and South Korea.

"If you have travelled to one of those countries then you are being asked to monitor for symptoms for two weeks and if you become symptomatic call HealthLine where additional testing will be done."

He says that while the risk to residents travelling abroad remains low, people travelling to and from affected areas should monitor for fever, cough and difficulty breathing for 14 days after travel.

"We can still limit the spread of COVID-19 in Canada," Shahab said. "Monitoring your symptoms, staying home if you are ill and practicing personal protection like good hand hygiene (and respiratory etiquette) remains vital to containing the transmission."

Anyone who has travelled from Hubei province in China in the last 14 days, or anyone who has been in contact with someone who is ill with COVID-19 is being asked to self-isolate for 14 days; stay inside and monitor for symptoms.

Anyone who has travelled from another infected area in the last 14 days but does not have symptoms is asked to monitor their health for two weeks, including twice-daily temperature readings, and to contact HealthLine 811 if symptoms appear.

Those interested can visit saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus for updated information on COVID-19.