REGINA - Residents who require negative test results in lieu of proof of vaccination are going to have to pay for them.
The provincial government says such individuals are responsible for purchasing a test from a private test provider.
In order to get the point across, the Saskatchewan Health has announced a publicly-funded test result, whether from the provincial lab or from a provincially-supplied self-test (ie workplace or school screening) will not be accepted as proof of negative test results.
The intention is to preserve the SHA testing system for the public health crisis, rather than easing the way for unvaccinated individuals to attend businesses or events requiring proof of either vaccination or a recent negative test.
With the expansion of self-testing for asymptomatic COVID-19 surveillance, the Saskatchewan Health Authority's public PCR testing sites will shift to focus on:
Individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (symptomatic);
Individuals with a positive rapid antigen self-test result;
Close contacts to a positive COVID-19 case;
Persons identified in an outbreak situation, as ordered by the MHO;
Immunocompromised residents (including chemotherapy, hemodialysis);
Individuals who require transfer or admission to long-term care, personal-care home, social services care and acute care facilities;
Staff or student in an educational institution.
These requirements will be confirmed through pre-testing screening questions when booking a test through HealthLine 811 or when presenting at SHA testing sites.
Preserving laboratory testing for symptomatic and confirmatory COVID-19 testing will ensure those individuals receive their test results in a more-timely fashion, and speeding notification for either self-isolation or returning to day-to-day activities.
Information on testing sites including locations and hours of operation is available at Saskatchewan.ca/covid-19.
A list of private test providers is available at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information/where#labs-offering-testing-services
