SASKATOON -- Check back throughout the day for the latest on COVID-19 in Saskatoon and area.

If you're concerned you might be infected with COVID-19, the Saskatchewan COVID-19 self-assessment tool is a helpful resource.

Here's advice on how to practice physical/social distancing and how to properly self-isolate at home.

 18 new cases in Saskatchewan

After seeing a trend where the number of new daily cases stayed in the low single digits for several days, the province reported a spike in new confirmed cases in its COVID-19 update on Monday.

Eighteen new cases were found, with 13 of the new cases linked to  a wake and funeral in Clearwater River Dene Nation.

Three of the new cases were found in Saskatoon and the two remaining new cases were people who tested positive in Saskatchewan but live out of province.

As of Monday, there were 41 active cases in the province, with the 22 concentrated in the far north and 12 in Saskatoon. 

To date, there have been a total of 683 confirmed cases in Saskatchewan.

Sask. reveals $2.4B deficit with record spending on health 

The Government of Saskatchewan’s 2020-21 budget shows a focus on health and economic supports made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three months since revealing temporary fiscal numbers without any revenue forecasts, the province forecasts a deficit of $2.4 billion.

The province was headed for a balanced budget in March which was upended in a matter of days as a result of COVID-19.

Public debt will rise by $3 billion in 2020-21. The government says $1.9 billion of that is attributable to COVID-19. The remaining $1.1 billion finances infrastructure projects in the government’s capital plan, which were developed prior to the pandemic. This increase will grow the total public debt to $24.37 billion.

SARCAN experiences busy reopening

Lines of people wrapped around Saskatoon SARCAN locations on its reopening day Monday, after months of being closed due to the COVID-19 public health order.

At the Sutherland location, the first customer arrived two hours early with 80 bags filled with recycling, according to Sean Homenick, a spokesperson for SARCAN.

With the reopening, comes new cleaning and physical distancing rules. 

A staff member stands by the door to ensure the building is not over-capacity, and glass barriers have been set up in front of staff sorting recycling. 

City hall reopen some in-person services

The lobby at city hall reopened to the public Monday morning, offering some front-counter services.

The reopened lobby will offer in-person service at the payment centre, customer service and collections counters, the city says on its website.

The services will operate under the guidelines outlined under the third phase of the province's Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan.

Weekend recap

The province reported  one new case of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan  on Sunday, leaving just 24 active cases.

The single new confirmed cases was found in Saskatoon, according to the province.

To date, there have been 665 confirmed cases of the virus in Saskatchewan and 628 people have recovered.

Two people remain in hospital, with one receiving inpatient care in the north and the other in intensive care in Saskatoon.

Also on Sunday, members Saskatoon's Chinese-Canadian community  gathered in Kinsmen Par k to speak out against racism directed at Chinese-Canadians.

Justin Zhong, one of the organizers, said the Chinese-Canadian community has been experiencing increased amounts of racism during the COVID-19 outbreak, with some people blaming individuals who are Chinese for the virus, as the first case was reported in China.